South Dakota African American History Museum has upgraded home, new exhibits

We’re willing to bet we’d all learn something from a trip to South Dakota’s African American History Museum.

And now, you can check it out at the Washington Pavilion, where it just reopened on the first floor with a new look and new exhibits.

“The existing exhibits got a face-lift – we got new paint, new carpet, new installation as far as the structure where the artifacts will be displayed,” said Zach Van Harris Jr., who did the research for the exhibit.

“It’s a lot of great information in there, but we wanted to have it thematically cohesive and tell the story about our Black pioneers in South Dakota, so the community can know what they’re looking at.”

The new look is “more minimalist, more for viewing pleasure to tell the story easier and to navigate,” he added.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll discover:

The early years

The museum chronicles early African American history in South Dakota, including the Lewis and Clark expedition where a man named York was instrumental. It also tells the story of a woman known as Aunt Sally who became one of the first Black women in South Dakota.

It also introduces Oscar Micheaux, the first African American filmmaker in the United States and one of few Black settlers in South Dakota at the time. The family had a homestead near Gregory.

The museum also features Cleveland Abbott, “an incredible athlete in South Dakota who holds a lot of records,” Van Harris said.

Abbott, who was born in 1894, graduated from Watertown High School and SDSU, earning a total of 30 varsity letters covering football, basketball, baseball, track and tennis.

The MLK years

Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1961 visit to South Dakota is detailed in the exhibit.

“We have a display honoring him and his legacy,” Van Harris said.

“He was unable to stay at any hotels or establishments during that time, so he ended up staying with the church St. John’s Colored Baptist Church, and there he met Emma Armstrong. And Emma Armstrong is a South Dakota Black American who has had an impact and legacy on the community, so we’ll have an exhibit honoring her legacy as well.”

The modern era

The South Dakota African American History Museum wanted to bring something new to visitors with its renovation and held a contest last year to award a student the chance to help create it.

Tea native and Colorado college student Isabella Hagemen was chosen and did two oil paintings on canvas honoring George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The community also donated many of the signs used for protesting, which were scaled down to present in the museum.

“We’re looking to continue to add on and see if we can have sponsorships and partnerships with the community and continue to do fundraisers and have a scholarship program,” Van Harris said.

To connect with the museum, click here.