The Florida African American Museum Exchange (FAAME) is building a robust alliance of African American museums throughout the state of Florida to preserve and present historically significant documents, photos, artifacts, and buildings. The initiative, coordinated by the John Gilmore Riley Center and Museum for African American History in Tallahassee, FL, was funded by 2006 and 2008 Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Matching funds were provided by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs.
“What’s being saved is the history of Africans in the Diaspora who survived through struggles and triumphs,” said Althemese Barnes, Riley Center Founding Director and the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network (FAAHPN) Creator. “The network of museums also focuses on the accomplishments of the descendents of slaves — sharecroppers, tenant farmers, lay midwives, teachers, craftsmen and religious leaders — who are the underpinnings of today’s middle class.”
“African Americans have made significant contributions throughout Florida but, until relatively recently, little had been done to preserve and illuminate their history,” she said. In 1973, for example, the local government in Tallahassee planned to demolish the John Gilmore Riley home to erect an electric substation. The community rallied and raised the funds to acquire, restore and reinvent the Riley house as a center for African American heritage preservation. Riley was born in 1857 when slavery was a way of life and educational pursuits for Blacks were illegal. He defied the law of the land and learned to read and write, eventually becoming an educator and the county’s first Black principal for 33 years. First restored in 1981, the Riley House went largely unused until 1996 when Barnes established the Riley Center/Museum. She later started the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network (FAAHPN) to help build the capacity of African American museums across the state, infuse African and African American history into mainstream museums, and equip network museums directors to become involved in the historical preservation movement.
The Florida African-American Heritage Preservation Network (FAAHPN)
FAAHPN is a professional development and technical assistance component of the John Gilmore Riley Center/Museum Inc. Every organization or person involved in, or desirous of supporting, efforts to preserve African American landmarks and legacies in Florida and discover, archive and illuminate the blended interrelationships of African Americans, Native Americans, and Europeans as an enduring public resource through tourism and education should join the network. Together, we can make a difference in our lives and communities.
http://www.faahpn.com/
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