I am encouraged by the efforts of the director and staff of PGAAMCC.
I was fortunate to have participated in the Day of Service and Culture, that coincided with the birthday of Nelson Mandela.
Guest speakers, vendors, and presenters who’d lived, studied and worked in South Africa added credibility and authenticity to the experience.
Residents and friends of the museum took part in the beautification of the outdoor space, enjoyed informative presentations, created art, and shared stories, speeches, and personal experiences.
It was particularly wonderful to see that provisions were made for young children to learn, explore, play, and create.
As a child, my elementary school celebrated Black History Week.
For a while, we thought Phyllis Wheatley, George Washington Carver, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Harriet Tubman were the only people of color who had made significant contributions to society.
It took creative, well-read, dedicated, thoughtful, radical educators, who saw the need to supplement our woefully inadequate history books, to open our eyes to the wealth of information hiding, sometimes deliberately, in our history.
At the museum, I saw children who have only known 2 presidents— one being Barack Obama.
It is imperative that they not become complacent, take that for granted, or not think it’s necessary to turn back the pages and discover the truth of who and what came before.
To see them engaged and enthusiastic about learning, in an atmosphere that is perhaps different from what they experience at school, was wonderful.
PGAAMCC is a light and a jewel in the community. I can only imagine the impact once all Prince Georgians discover it, and recognize how they can contribute to and glean from such a potentially valuable resource.
Strong, responsible, invested, knowledgeable, mature, experienced, enthusiastic leadership, is the key to whether its reputation and standing in the museum community will continue to grow and thrive, or wane and remain in obscurity.
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