The Legacy Center hosted its Black History Month Closeout Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 29, with The African American Cultural Heritage Collection Museum Exhibit.
The celebration was the last stop in Black History Month for the collection and creator Eric Majette, Jr., on its “2020 Black History Sacred Sites and Exhibit Tour,” offering a rare and intimate event that allowed the public to view and learn about historic and priceless African-American artifacts and pieces.
“If we don’t own the history, then we don’t own the narrative. No one should be telling our history or the story of our people but us. The story of African-Americans in this country is one of resilience and survival and only the descendants of that story should be telling it and owning it,” Majette said.
The collection consists of African American artifacts Majetta gathered over the course of two and a half weeks while doing exhibits for schools and a Historic exhibition with the Nation of Islam for their 2020 Saviour’s Day, visited the gravesites of some of the prominent African-Americans in history.
Eric went on to explain how he used hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money to “buy back” these artifacts.
“It was money from my own pocket and funds, but it was worth it,” Majette said. “I feel honored I’d do it again. I felt this pull from being so immersed in Black Culture and learning about our history.”
“I’d never sell or part ways with any of part of my collection. There are so much heart and soul in everyone and that has to be protected.”
To complete his collection, Majette visited the following sites:
– Malcolm X 1965 Firebombed House
– Madam CJ Walker Home- Villa Lewaro
– Harriet Tubman’s 32 acre estate
– Madam CJ Walker’s Headquarters
He also visited some of the final resting places of historic figures:
– Malcolm X & Betty Shabazz
– James Baldwin
– Paul Robeson
– Khalid Muhammed
– Moms Mabley
– Whitney M. Young
– Cab Calloway
– Aaliyah Haughton
– Madam CJ Walker
-A’Leila Walker
-Harriet Tubman
-Frederick Douglass
-Sojourner Truth
