This week’s guest blogger
Krystal Gladden
Museum Educator
African American Museum of Iowa
Being a pubic historian and museum educator means that one of my top goals is to provide publicly accessible information in a way that is easily understood. These personal goals, aligned with the AAMI’s mission to preserve, exhibit, and teach the African American heritage of Iowa, mean that I am tasked with finding new ways to make sure the public hears these amazing stories of success, failure, discrimination, and triumph. Although it is a weighty responsibility, we have always understood that we are not solely responsible and are grateful to have community partners who understand that they play a role as well.
Over a year ago, we were contacted by Dr. Brie Swenson Arnold about partnering on a walking/driving tour brochure that would highlight spaces with narratives relating to Cedar Rapid’s African American history and culture. In the midst of finalizing some information and editing drafts of the brochure, Dr. Swenson Arnold realized that the city was planning to erect historic markers highlighting aspects of Cedar Rapids history. The marriage of these two projects was obvious, and after a successful pitch to the historic preservation commission, we began choosing stories for the first round of markers.
We collaborated with City official, scholars from Coe College, members of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, and The History Center to help bring narratives from Cedar Rapid’s African American history to this historic marker project, which has been underway for more than a year. On September 13, the city held an unveiling of the first tenfabricated markers at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in the corner of Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue. Bethel is home to the city’s oldest African American congregation and has been at their current location since 1874. That afternoon, the first 10 of the markers were unveiled to the press and members of the media and they were immediately places at their locations right after.
This project is a great example of the AAMI’s new vision of building a community that comes together to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of Iowa’s African American history and culture through conversation, engagement, and reflection. We were so glad to be a part of such a great collaborative project and to be able to include multiple layers of experiences that have shaped and impacted the city. These narratives are now accessible to people who haven’t thought about the valuable information that museums like the AAMI have. They are able to receive this content and learn about these collaborative institutions at their leisure with minimal barriers. This project takes learning and engagement outside of the walls of our institutions and puts it in spaces of public access and leisure.
We hope this exposure will create a desire for Cedar Rapidians, and Iowans as a whole, to learn more about our institution and inspire them to learn more in our exhibits and through our programs.
A full location map and key can be found at www.cedar-rapids.org/crn
Krystal Gladden
Museum Educator
African American Museum of Iowa
Being a pubic historian and museum educator means that one of my top goals is to provide publicly accessible information in a way that is easily understood. These personal goals, aligned with the AAMI’s mission to preserve, exhibit, and teach the African American heritage of Iowa, mean that I am tasked with finding new ways to make sure the public hears these amazing stories of success, failure, discrimination, and triumph. Although it is a weighty responsibility, we have always understood that we are not solely responsible and are grateful to have community partners who understand that they play a role as well.
Over a year ago, we were contacted by Dr. Brie Swenson Arnold about partnering on a walking/driving tour brochure that would highlight spaces with narratives relating to Cedar Rapid’s African American history and culture. In the midst of finalizing some information and editing drafts of the brochure, Dr. Swenson Arnold realized that the city was planning to erect historic markers highlighting aspects of Cedar Rapids history. The marriage of these two projects was obvious, and after a successful pitch to the historic preservation commission, we began choosing stories for the first round of markers.
We collaborated with City official, scholars from Coe College, members of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, and The History Center to help bring narratives from Cedar Rapid’s African American history to this historic marker project, which has been underway for more than a year. On September 13, the city held an unveiling of the first tenfabricated markers at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in the corner of Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue. Bethel is home to the city’s oldest African American congregation and has been at their current location since 1874. That afternoon, the first 10 of the markers were unveiled to the press and members of the media and they were immediately places at their locations right after.
This project is a great example of the AAMI’s new vision of building a community that comes together to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of Iowa’s African American history and culture through conversation, engagement, and reflection. We were so glad to be a part of such a great collaborative project and to be able to include multiple layers of experiences that have shaped and impacted the city. These narratives are now accessible to people who haven’t thought about the valuable information that museums like the AAMI have. They are able to receive this content and learn about these collaborative institutions at their leisure with minimal barriers. This project takes learning and engagement outside of the walls of our institutions and puts it in spaces of public access and leisure.
We hope this exposure will create a desire for Cedar Rapidians, and Iowans as a whole, to learn more about our institution and inspire them to learn more in our exhibits and through our programs.
A full location map and key can be found at www.cedar-rapids.org/crn