Interview with the Founder and Curator of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum.
To celebrate Black History Month, we're revisiting a presenter we had back in July, Dr. Khalid el-Hakim. He is the Founder and Curator of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum. This travelling museum is an award winning collection of over 7,000 original artifacts of Black memorabilia dating from the trans-Atlantic slave trade era to hip-hop culture.
Q: Tell me about yourself?
Q: What inspired you to start this collection and turn it into a mobile museum?
Q: Can you describe your museum for us?
Q: You just touched base on this, but I'd like to dive a bit deeper. I saw an interview with you on Detroit Public TV. In that interview you mentioned that you pull certain items from the collection with themes when you go and tour around.
Q: What artifacts from this (2019) exhibit do you think really resonated with the audience?
Honestly, the way you do the presentation and the setup of the museum when you go on tour, for me, is really interesting to see the connections through history. A lot of these are buried away in textbooks or not required learning in schools. There's a lot of educational opportunity with this museum, and with this collection.
Q: Could you talk about the educational opportunities of this museum, especially in communities that might not be as perceptive to African-American history or black history?
Q: You asked a question during your presentation; asking how many people have read Martin Luther King Jr.'s literature. You said he published five books and honestly, I couldn't name one. The fact that only two other people could name two out of five was surprising. Is that something you hope people will take out of this to go and really get more in-depth information?
Q: What resources would you recommend to people who want to continue to learn?
Q: Any final messages to the audience?
The contributions of black artists, authors and creators spans generations.
Although Black History Month is a great time to highlight this, these authors are worth celebrating year-round. Tune into past interviews with these incredible authors, and check out their books from our collection.
Dr. Micheal Eric Dyson - Academic, author, preacher and radio host.
Cookie Johnson - Author, philanthropist, mother and entrepreneur
Imbolo Mbue - Novelist and writer
Additionally, McDonald’s of Michigan has partnered with MLive.com to celebrate Black History Month. We’re debuting a new podcast series highlighting those who are learning from our past to help shape the future. Listen at http://McD.to/61831gaK1