The African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) is a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
and non-circulating
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
dedicated to preserving
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
history, experiences and culture on 14th Street in
Downtown Oakland
Downtown Oakland is the central business district of Oakland, California, United States; roughly bounded by both the Oakland Estuary and Interstate 880 on the southwest, Interstate 980 on the northwest, Grand Avenue on the northeast, and Lak ...
. It contains an extensive archival collection of such artifacts as diaries, correspondence, photos, and periodicals.
History
The AAMLO is located at the Charles S. Greene building which previously was the
Carnegie library. The building served as the
Oakland Main Library from 1902 to 1951.
The AAMLO began as a private collection in 1946, and on July 2,1965 became the East Bay Negro Historical Society (EBNHS). It later changed its name to the Northern California Center for Afro-American History & Life, before being incorporated into the city of Oakland in 1994 under its current name, the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.
Among the more than 160 collections in the library are archives relating to
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
,
Malcolm X, the
Black Panthers, Africa, and genealogy. Materials include photographs, manuscripts, letters, diaries, newspapers, recorded oral histories, videos, and microfilms. AAMLO's two galleries host changing exhibitions of art, history, and culture, including collaborative exhibitions.
Eugene & Ruth Lasartemay and Jesse & Dr. Marcella began collecting artifacts and documents creating the private collection in 1946. Initially housed in a small shop front on Grove Street (now
Martin Luther King, Jr. Way), the collection grew quickly and in 1982, was moved into the Oakland Public Library's Golden Gate Branch. It officially became AAMLO, a public/private partnership, in 1994. AAMLO moved into its current location in 2002.
["Discover AAMLO," a brochure of the facility, published by the Oakland Public Library.]
See also
*
List of museums focused on African Americans
This is a list of museums in the United States whose primary focus is on African American culture and history. Such museums are commonly known as African American museums. According to scholar Raymond Doswell, an African American museum is "an ...
References
External links
The AAMLO WebsiteA number of photographs from the AAMLO collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:African American Museum And Library At Oakland
Museums in Oakland, California
Ethnic libraries
Education in Oakland, California
African-American museums in California
African-American history in Oakland, California
Libraries in Alameda County, California
Library buildings completed in 1900
Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in California
National Register of Historic Places in Oakland, California
Bliss and Faville buildings
Beaux-Arts architecture in California