Hunter S.
Yelp
Precursor: Living in the south, I have been to most every major Black history/African American history/civil rights museum, from Montgomery Alabama to Atlanta Georgia to Memphis Tennessee. I've been to the Equal Justice Initiative museum and monument, the Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated. Every place I travel to, I seek out black culture and history. The main museum I have not been able to visit as of yet is NMAAH in DC.
With this in mind, I knew I might not learn a ton at this smaller museum located in Chicago. But they are doing important work and I am so glad I came.
There is plenty of parking on the back side of the building. Entry fee is 14 dollars. Everyone here was so nice! The security guard at the front and the gentleman giving instructions and an overview of the museum started my visit off right--smiling, informative, welcoming.
I started off with the March on Washington experience. This is a timed experience that runs on the half hour. It is about 20 minutes in duration. Four people per turn. The first eight minutes is an immersive sound bath of interviews and reflections on the civil rights movement. The last half is a virtual reality experience of the March on Washington and the I have a dream speech. You're fit with a VR headset and get to watch the march and the speech. Is it the most amazing VR experience ever? No. Is it a little like mid 2000s computer gaming? Yes. But it's unique and stirring.
Next was a large collection focusing on Black contributions to the military, particularly WWI and the civil war. I learned a lot about important characters that we aren't taught about in school. The bulk of this collection was comprised of the Captain James C. Hall collection. It was moving and emotional to read his personal letters and get to know him and learn of his experience at war in Europe. It was probably my favorite part of the whole museum.
There is a section about Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor, complete with animatronics.
There is a section on African culture and art, where I learned the surprising, yet not surprising fact, that over 90% of artistic objects created in Africa before the 19th century are OUTSIDE of Africa. The security guard in this section was also nice and helpful, telling us about the QR codes on each piece, to tell us more info than what was posted on the placards. There is a really neat activity where you can follow the story of an enslaved young person if he had Instagram during his time. I was really interested in this, but unfortunately the QR code isn't functioning (several of us tried it--it appears altered or damaged, so it won't read).
They also have sections on chattel slavery and some more info on the civil rights movement.
This museum could use some attention and help. The staff clearly love this place and support the mission, but like many museums focusing on Black history, it is underfunded and doesn't receive the attention it should. As a Smithsonian affiliate, I wish they would step in and help.
TLDR: this museum doesn't compete with the biggest museums in the south and DC, but it's important that we support it. It's also a very good starting point for people who might know as much about the topic.
If you really pay attention and read, you can spend a couple of hours here.