The future belongs to the storytellers
To foster a greater appreciation for the perseverance of African Americans in South Dakota through educational exhibits, community events, outreach, and preserving and documenting the history.
South Dakota African American History Museum is committed to creating a space where black people tell black stories about black history through black art forms.
The Booker T. Washington Service Center was created by Sioux Falls’ Black community as lodging for black travelers and newcomers to the city at a time when racial segregation made hotels unavailable. Active from 1926 to 1957, it enjoyed great success as housing and as a community gathering center.
The stories of the Black Campus Movement at rural, liberal arts colleges have largely gone untold. In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, United Soul brought together African American students at Augustana College and Sioux Falls College to advance a vision of equal education.
The bus boycotts of Montgomery, Alabama, or the lunch counter sit-ins of Nashville, Tennessee often serve as anchor points for histories of the Civil Rights Movement, which focus attention on the South. In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Maurice Coakley helped lead the fight for equal housing and voting rights within his state, showing that civil rights struggles extended into the North and Midwest.
Our Stories are filled with examples of how communities can come together to create something amazing.
Rather it's self-education or institutional education, education is vital to building a thriving and healthy community.
Our stories show what can happen with people put others before themselves. We share stories of sacrifice.
Nothing happens in a silo. Members of the culture need to find ways to work with people outside the culture.
It’s time for us to meet you. We would love to show you our historical collection. You can click the button to see all our available times or call us for more information!