Visit the Black Holocaust Museum
During Black History Month

February is Black History Month. It honors the important people and events that have taken place in the fight for freedom and equal rights in African-American history.

Visit America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee to learn more about black history. It is one of the largest African-American museums in the United States. About 50,000 people visit each year.

The museum has hundreds of photos and posters. They show the history of racism in America. It is the only museum in the country that is about the victims of lynching. Lynching killed more than 4,700 people in the United States from 1882 to 1968. Seventy-five percent of those killed were black.

Dr. James Cameron founded America's Black Holocaust Museum in 1988. "We must build with our own hands a memorial so the world can never forget the wrongs done to us in America," he said.

New exhibit opens Feb. 6
America's Black Holocaust Museum opens a new exhibit on February 6. It is called, "My Brother's Keeper."

It is also called, "A Tribute to Leaders in America's Fight for Civil Rights." The exhibit tells the stories of 30 civil rights activists in the country. Activists try to make changes to improve the lives of people. "My Brother's Keeper" looks at the lives of these black and white Americans who fought for change so Americans of all races might have the same opportunities.

Do not forget to check out the permanent exhibits. They cover six topics:
• Life in Africa
• Coming to America
• Slavery in America
• The years following the Civil War
• Civil rights
• Today's problems.

Six collections also are on display at the museum on a regular basis:"The African Village" - an exhibit of life on the coast of West Africa; "The Middle Passage-- A Voyage to Slavery" - features a model of a slave ship;"Wisconsin Legends of the NAACP"- includes a video of civil rights leaders in Wisconsin; "Strange Fruit-- Lynching in America" - covers the murders of black people; "The Life and Legacy of Dr. James Cameron"-- tells the life story of the museum's founder; "Before Freedom Came" - shows how blacks shaped American history.

The Museum is at 2233 N. 4th St. in Milwaukee. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for the general public, $4 for seniors, and $3 for students. Call the museum at (414) 264-2500. Or, visit its Web site at www.blackholocaustmuseum.org.