TYLER, Texas — The Texas African American Museum is making a big move.
On Nov. 15, the City of Tyler voted to donate an older and unused fire station, No. 4, on Martin Luther King Blvd. to the Texas African American Museum.
The museum is moving from its previous location on Glenwood Blvd to the firehouse and is expected to open in 2021. Visitors can expect exhibits, tours, a library and other activities aimed towards enriching the community with African American heritage.
Executive director of the museum, Gloria Washington, and the Executive team at the Empowerment Development Community Organization have big plans for this space. The 500 square feet building gives them room to house other empowerment organizations as well.
"In the future once we finish with renovations, we will have a conference room where the different programs that’s under empowerment will be able to come in and host their meetings," Washington said.
The museum opened in 2018 with the purpose of preserving African-American culture and educating the public since "African Americans have done so much over the years and have most[ly] gone unnoticed and unrecognized," their website says.
Washington also believes educating others on African-American history is a way of ensuring a better future.
"If you don’t learn your history, there’s an opportunity for you to repeat your history," Washington said. "That’s what it means to me — understanding where we come from, and where we are going.”
You can keep up with the museum's progress through their FaceBook page and visit their museum when it opens at 309 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. in Tyler.
