director's message

Walk, Stand, Look and Read

By Charmaine Jefferson Executive Director, California African American Museum

Walking through the doors at CAAM and into the galleries, the impact of history, beauty, discovery and honoring our own can take your breath away.  Here, right now, we have exhibits that put a lie to the concept called The One - you know the One Film Star, the One Singer, the One leader who got through the always closed doors.  In each of these exhibits, the astonishing discoveries our research revealed took our breath away, sometimes made us weep at the rampant injustice, but ultimately filled us with pride at being able to bring this to you.

It begins with Women: Game Changers, the giant banners celebrating 70 women of color and achievement, their names and greatness undervalued, lesser known and here celebrated.  In the Gallery of Discovery, we honor the nameless, faceless ones who made it possible for us to come here and grow in power and beauty.  Miguel Covarrubias was enchanted by the sights, sounds and colors of our people.  He captured that throughout his career.

In Places of Validation, Art & Progression, history and art kept unfolding as we looked deeper into what the world was like for Black artists, collectors, galleries and other institutions between 1940-1980.  We knew we had to take on the role of FIRST VOICES talking to the people who were there, fought the battles, made and bought the art and struggled into triumph.  Each interview, each art piece brought new discovery, new decision agony on what to display and what to leave out.

Just walk through, stand, look and read your history, your ancestors, at what your people have done and feel the triumph we feel today.