The Dusable Museum of African American History, one of the oldest museums dedicated to African American History, Culture and Art, was established by teacher and art historian Margaret Taylor Burroughs on February 16, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois. At its inception, the museum was known as the Ebony Museum, and then as the Museum of Negro History and Art. It was ultimately renamed in honor of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, the Black pioneer and trader who is recognized as the founder of Chicago and the first non-native settler of Chicago. Burroughs, the Director of the museum, started it in her living room. Most of its contents were from private collections. Today, its collection includes 15,000 treasures documenting African American art, history and culture. The museum is one of the few independent museums devoted to topics relating to the African American experience.
Located in historic area of Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago, the museum’s mission is to “promote understanding and inspire appreciation of the achievements, contributions, and experiences of African Americans through exhibits, programs and activities that illustrate African and African American history, culture and art.” It presents permanent and contemporary exhibits like “Red, White, Blue and Black: A History of Blacks in the Armed Forces,” “South Side Stories – The Art and Influence of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs 1960 – 1980” and “Troubled Waters: Chicago 1919 Race Riot”. The museum serves as a teaching resource on African American history, and is the venue and site for community activities and organizations related to African American issues.
Jessie Carney Smith, The Handy African American History Answer Book (2014)