The Living History Museum
On Thursday, February 22, from 5-8 p.m., Sabathani Community Center will host a community celebration honoring its legacy and those who helped to build it. The event is free and open to the public. It will include a preview of its Living History Museum and performances by Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness.
The Living History Museum was installed in the building a few years ago, but Scott Redd, Sabathani’s president and CEO, felt it wasn’t getting proper attention. “I thought there is just so much great history, so many great folks that led the way of building Sabathani, building Minneapolis.”
During the summer, Sabathani conducted a community needs assessment and three listening sessions to determine what programming the community wanted Sabathani to continue and what new programming they could offer. Feedback from youth and seniors indicated the need for a better understanding of their background and ways to have intergenerational conversations.
“I thought what better way to have an intergenerational conversation than in a museum that had not been getting much use,” said Redd. The museum was previously housed on the second floor of the building, where it was much less visible.
“Let’s bring this living museum alive,” Redd responded. “Let’s bring it onto our first floor so that when people come into our building, they will see the heroes, our founders, and understand the history of South Minneapolis and how Sabathani played a role in that history.”
The museum features an exhibit showing how redlining was used to block access to Blacks buying homes in the community. It includes information on Prince, who attended Central High School just a few blocks away. It also features a timeline of buildings and people who represent Black life and leadership in Minneapolis, along with the founding members of Sabathani.
“We stand on the shoulders of giants,” Redd says. “When you think about the folks who came through here, whether it’s Neva Walker, Bill English, and of course Cecil Newman, we want to be able to uplift them and give them the thanks that they deserve for the hard work that they put into making Minneapolis the place that it is today.”
As one of the oldest nonprofits founded by African Americans in the state, Redd wants Sabathani to continue to be the beacon for the community that it has been for almost 60 years. “Most importantly, we want our youth and the folks who come through these doors to see what leadership looks like,” he says, “making sure that we create that new round of leaders.”
Sabathani Southside Community Celebration, catered by Chelles’ Kitchen, will honor those contributing to the Sabathani community, like the Royal Red Hat Sabathanettes. The museum, which changes quarterly, will highlight Sounds of Blackness this quarter.
“We are highlighting…the great work that Sounds of Blackness has done to unite our Black community and to share the story of Black folks across the world,” Redd says. The group will perform at the event and Gary Hines will be speaking.
“We want to continue to invest in the building, but we also want to invest in this community. It’s so important that folks come out and see what’s happening in this [38th Street] corridor right now.”
“We want to collaborate,” Redd continues. “We want to build back together. And for that to happen we need strong Black voices not just at this event, but at the table supporting one another, making sure that we make our elders proud of the work they laid in front of us. And that will be the message not just on the 22nd, but moving forward.”
Sabathani Community Center is located at 310 East 38th Street in Minneapolis. The event is free, but registration is suggested on their website at sabathani.org.
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