African American Museum of Iowa
The African American Museum of Iowa, located in Cedar Rapids, is the only state-wide museum dedicated to preserving African American history and culture. The museum has created a huge educational impact, being Iowa’s leading educational resource on the topic. Each year, the museum educates around 30,000 people through museum tours, travelling exhibits, research services, youth and adult educational programs, and community and fundraising events. The museum was founded through the efforts of a small group of members of the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in 1993. The mission to preserve the African American heritage of Iowa has had tremendous effects on the community. The vision for the museum is simple; it is to create a community through a greater appreciation of African American history and culture.
The permanent exhibit at the museum provides an overview of African American history from before the transatlantic slave trade to the 2008 election of Barak Obama. Visitors can book group tours specifically designed for adults and younger audiences. A trained educator accompanies you and will provide you with additional stories, background and insight throughout the tour. Youth programs also include other student workshops, which give students the to write, think, answer questions and make connections. Activities like Behind the Beat explore African American history through music. The museum can also bring African American history to your school, library or business through travelling exhibits. The travelling exhibits are informational banners about historical events or cultural practices. These are portable and light, so they are very easy to set up. There are several other classroom resources that the museum can provide, for example, the travelling trunk. The travelling trunk is a large tore full of artefacts, reading materials, activities and more.
You can lend your time and talents to the museum to help preserve, exhibit, and teach Iowa’s African American history. You can contribute to the museum in several different roles. Visitor Services Volunteers create a welcoming and professional environment ensuring that visitors have a positive experience. As a Docent, you can assist with leading guided tours. A specialist volunteer can lend their talents and expertise in various departments of the museum from human resources, marketing, accounting, strategic planning and carpentry. Volunteers can even help document oral histories by creating written transcriptions of interviews as an Oral history transcriptionist. There are also several one-time volunteer opportunities where volunteers can help with specific events like the History Makers Gala.