African American Museum and Library at Oakland

The African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) is a special place in Oakland, California. It helps people learn about the history, experiences, and culture of African Americans. It is part of the Oakland Public Library system and has both a museum and a library where you cannot check out books.

Located on 14th Street in Downtown Oakland, this museum holds many important items. Visitors can see diaries, letters, photographs, and old magazines that tell stories of African American life. The museum and library work together to keep these memories safe so everyone can learn from them.

History

The African American Museum and Library at Oakland is in a building called the Charles S. Greene building. This building used to be the Carnegie library. It was the Oakland Main Library from 1902 to 1951.

The museum began with a private collection in 1946. On July 2, 1965, it was called the East Bay Negro Historical Society. The name changed again before it became part of the city of Oakland in 1994. It moved to its current home in 2002.

Collections

The African American Museum and Library at Oakland has over 160 special collections. These include stories and items about important people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, as well as groups such as the Black Panthers.

You can find many different kinds of things here, like photographs, letters, diaries, newspapers, and videos.

The museum’s collections also show the work of famous people from the area, such as Ida Jackson, Oakland’s first African American schoolteacher, and Ron Dellums, a former congressman and mayor of Oakland. Other collections include items from Marcus Foster, a school superintendent, and Barbara Lee, a congresswoman from the Bay Area. There are also records from the Oakland Black Cowboy Association and more. The museum changes its displays often to show new exhibits about art, history, and culture.