Feel Good Friday - DuSable Museum of African American History

For today’s Feel Good Friday, we’re continuing our celebration of Black History Month by sharing the story of the DuSable Museum of African American History.

 

Founded by Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs in 1961, at a time when Black culture was overlooked by most museums and academic establishments, the mission of the DuSable Museum of African American History 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.”

 

Located in Chicago, it is the first museum of its type in the country and “the longest standing independent keeper of Black America’s history”. What began in Dr. Burroughs’ living room 60 years ago is now an independent institution that welcomes over 100,000 visitors each year.

 

The museum holds over 15,000 pieces of art, including paintings, sculpture, print works and historical memorabilia. Visitors can view the collection and attend special events such as an upcoming theatrical reading of the trial transcript of the State of Mississippi vs. Milam and Bryant, the men who were found not guilty of murdering Emmett Till. Many of the events that have already taken place at the museum can be viewed in the video archives.

 

Educational programs put on by the DuSable include: Code Black, a lecture series which addresses topics such as reparations, history of Black activism and Covid 19; lunch and learn discussions where people learn about politics and civic participation; and Black Fine Art Month, an event held every October to celebrate the Black Fine Art aesthetic.

 

On February 16^th, the DuSable is hosting a virtual event on Instagram, called Equiano.Stories. It reimagines the childhood saga of Olaudah Equiano and how it would be represented if he had Instagram when he was enslaved in 1756. Fascinating!

If you’d like to support the DuSable and their innovative approaches to sharing African American history, there are many ways to do so. Purchase a membership to the museum, shop for merch, make a donation and share the love on social media. Like their Facebook page and follow them Twitter @DuSableMuseum and Instagram@dusablemuseum. #thisiswhatweDu 

Feel Good Friday - National Black Women's Justice Institute

February is Black History Month. Let’s kick it off by highlighting the work of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute. 

Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, the National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI) is an organization with a mission to “research, elevate, and educate the public about innovative, community-led solutions to address the criminalization of Black women and girls.”

 

As they share in a report on their website, extreme prison sentences disproportionately impact and harm Black women, who account for one third of women serving life sentences in the United States. NBWJI wants to “transform the US criminal legal system, building, in its place, pathways to opportunity and healing.”

 

To achieve this goal, they focus their work on research and evaluation of local and national programs, training and assistance for government systems and direct service providers, and recommendations for changes to public policy.

 

Programs fall into one of three core commitment areas: dismantle pathways to criminalization and confinement for Black women and girls; increase and enhance opportunities with and for formerly incarcerated women and girls; and promote healing-centered justice.

 

Some specific examples of this work include: an intersectional study of Black women, trans and gender nonconforming people’s encounters with police; training that enables law enforcement and probation officers to more effectively respond to the needs of commercially sexually exploited children; expansion of culturally competent and gender-responsive mental health services for Black girls and other youth of color; an interactive program to educate Black boys and young men, on how to become allies in the work of eliminating sexual violence; and an online peer network for educators seeking support and resources to transform schools into places where girls of color can thrive.

 

In addition to their programs, NBWJI has many resources for people interested in exploring these topics in more detail. You can find reports, policy briefs and fact sheets at this link or check out the Lift Our Voices blog for analysis and opinion from NBWJI’s experts on the latest issues and news.

 

If you’re ready to help the National Black Women’s Justice Institute transform the criminal legal justice system, there are several ways to do so. Make a donation and amplify their message on social media. Like the NBWJI Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @NBWJInstitute and Instagram @nbwji.

Feel Good Friday - The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.

January is National Braille Literacy Month and we still have time to celebrate. In today’s Feel Good Friday we’ll learn about an organization with a braille literacy program, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.

 

Founded in 1918, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is “a private, not-for-profit social enterprise providing employment, support, and training opportunities for people who are blind, DeafBlind, and blind with other disabilities.” They are the largest employer of blind employees West of the Mississippi and the largest employer of individuals who are DeafBlind in the United States.

 

As they explain on their website, they focus on employment because “seven out of every ten adults who are blind are unemployed. For people who are DeafBlind, the unemployment number climbs to over 80% and for people with multiple disabilities, over 90%.”

 

The Lighthouse has three manufacturing locations in Washington and South Carolina where workers produce “an array of machined parts and plastic injection molding for various aerospace manufacturers, as well as a host of office products and hydration equipment sold to the Federal Government and the U.S. Military.” They also provide managed and administrative services to commercial, federal and military customers, as well as own and operate supply stores on military bases along the West Coast. This news story from King 5 in Seattle gives a good overview.

In addition to providing employment opportunities, the Lighthouse offers a wide range of programs and services for employees who are blind and DeafBlind. Examples include training in braille and access to the Braille Reading Library as part of the Braille Literacy Program, computer training classes, orientation and mobility training to help employees travel independently and safely, guide dog training and additional programs to support DeafBlind employees.

You can read the Lighthouse employee success stories at this link to see how a focus on accessibility, independence and empowerment are making an impact. If you’d like to help the Lighthouse for the Blind make an impact, you can do that with a donation and by supporting them on social media. Like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @Lighthouse_Inc and Instagram @thelighthousefortheblind_inc.