• Davidson County Historical Museum’s African American Heritage Project (AAHP) mission is to collect, preserve, and interpret material culture and oral histories reflecting the lives and experiences of the African American community in Davidson County.

  • AAHP is a collaborative project comprised of museum staff, local leaders, and citizens who work together to expand Black History content within the museum’s permanent artifact collection, digital photo archive, and public research files.

How Can You Help?

The African American Heritage Project has issued an ongoing Call for Artifacts, Photographs, and Oral Histories. Anything you share helps us to build future exhibits, create in-person and virtual programs, and expand our public research files. Click the buttons below to learn more.

 

What has the project collected so far?

Here are some examples of recent donations, loans, and digitized materials collected as part of the African American Heritage Project. For a captioned description of each artifact below, hover over an image or click the dot in the bottom right corner.

 

Call For Artifacts: Have an object, photo, or document to share?

The Davidson County Historical Museum is in need of artifacts and photographs that represent African American History in Davidson County.

What kind of objects are of interest?
Objects that provide a glimpse into the daily lives and culture of the local Black community as well as items relating to topics of race relations and Civil Rights are of interest. This could include but isn’t limited to, artifacts and archival materials like:

Photographs (of local families, places, or events)
Records (such as school or employment records belonging to African American citizens)
Written Correspondence (pertaining to local families, places, or events)
Family Heirlooms (such as household objects, hand-written recipes, textiles, etc.)
Items relating to Civil Rights Movement and social justice (such as posters or clothing used in local protests and demonstrations)
Items relating to Racial Segregation (such as signs used to enforce segregation or objects from segregated facilities)
Other items may relate to local historic African American schools, churches, and civic and social groups

To Make a Donation Objects Can Be:
Permanently Donated (Greatest Impact)
Temporarily Loaned (Expands Current Exhibits and Programs)
Copied/Digitized (Builds Research Files)

To discuss a potential donation and to schedule an artifact assessment, please contact the curator at dch.museum@davidsoncountync.gov or call 336-242-2035. For more information on the donation process and the museum’s collection policy, click here.

 

Call For Oral Histories: Do you have a story to share?

If you are interested in participating in the African American Heritage Project: Oral History Series as an interviewee, or know someone that you’d like for us to interview, please fill out and submit the Pre-Interview form below. Once your form is reviewed someone from the African American Heritage Project team will be in contact with you. Click here for a printable version of the form.