A new museum is in the works that will celebrate the contributions blacks have made to popular music: The National Museum of African American Music, which will be in Nashville, Tennessee. A city that is well-known for its rich musical history, this new museum will fulfill a desire for greater diversity in the locale’s offerings that has been expressed by many tourists. Board chairman for the project Henry Hicks told ABC News: “With the focus on music and the more than 40 genres of music that African Americans contributed to in a meaningful way, it really becomes a museum of American music and allows us to tell the story of American music.” This will be the first museum to focus specifically on the music history of African-Americans — but it is not the only one that preserves the legacy of our greats. Here are more important repositories of our rich past that offer (or will when completed) a wonderful window on black achievement. Keep these destinations in mind for future educational adventures.
The National Museum of African American Music
Nashville, TN
Estimated Date of Opening: 2013
The National Museum of African American Music will be the first museum of its kind dedicated to the historical contributions of blacks in the United States to popular music. At a cost of $47.5 million, the museum intends to bring together the many artists, companies, styles and cultural movements that have both influenced and been influenced by black music.
