Black History mobile museum reflects 'resiliency of Black experience in America'

Matthew Dae Smith, Lansing State Journal
·2 min read
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The Black History 101 Mobile Museum made a tour stop at the East Lansing Public Library this week with over 150 pieces of historical artifacts and ephemera related to slavery, politics, Jim Crow, science, religion, music, sports and civil rights.

"The Black experience in America is the American experience, but you’re not getting this experience in your U.S. history textbooks,” said founder and curator Khalid el-Hakim, 52, of Detroit.

The former Detroit Public Schools social studies teacher began collecting historical memorabilia at garage sales, thrift stores, and antique shops as a student at Ferris State University. It was a sociology class that piqued his interest.

“Dr. David Pilgrim would bring in primary source material related to Black history to have students discuss the origins of race and racism in America," el-Hakim said. "The conversations we’d have motivated me to begin collecting materials in antique shops throughout the Big Rapids area and Northern Michigan."

He’s amassed over 10,000 pieces over the past 30 years.

Khalid el-Hakim, Ph.D., founder and curator of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum speaks about hip-hop culture and its influence on pop music, using Blondie's 1980 hit "Rapture" as an example, Monday, Jan. 30 2023, during a lecture and tour stop at the East Lansing Public Library. El-Hakim showed about 150 from his personal collection of over 10,000 pieces amassed over the past 30 years.

"I was interested in getting things that represented the resiliency of the Black experience in America," he said. "We didn’t just accept that (racism) as being normal. When we saw it, we immediately would say “that’s wrong.”

In 1995, el-Hakim began sharing some of his collection at community meetings and organizations he’d joined.

Ephemera and historical artifacts from the Black History 101 Mobile Museum on display Monday, Jan. 30 2023, at the East Lansing Public Library. [Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal]
Ephemera and historical artifacts from the Black History 101 Mobile Museum on display Monday, Jan. 30 2023, at the East Lansing Public Library. [Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal]

“People thought I worked for the Charles H.  Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit," he said. "And I’d tell them it’s from my personal collection. The response I got made me realize I could step out of my community and take it to a more diverse audience."

He’s since shared his mobile museum with about 1,000 institutions in 41 states.

Fifth-grader Hassan Trowell of East Lansing examines some of the historical artifacts and ephemera from the Black History 101 Mobile Museum's collection, Monday, Jan. 30 2023, on display at the East Lansing Public Library. [Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal]
Fifth-grader Hassan Trowell of East Lansing examines some of the historical artifacts and ephemera from the Black History 101 Mobile Museum's collection, Monday, Jan. 30 2023, on display at the East Lansing Public Library. [Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal]

"It’s a beautiful experience sharing and teaching, but I’ve become a student as well. We learn from the conversations that take place that we all have more in common than we think," he said.

The mobile museum will make four other Michigan stops in the coming weeks. It will be at Lawrence Tech University on Wednesday, the Grand Rapids Public Library on Thursday and Friday, the Southfield Civic Center on Saturday, and at Northern Michigan University on Feb. 9.  Additional information and tour dates can be found at www.blackhistorymobilemuseum.com.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Black History 101 Mobile Museum reflects one man's personal collection