Local researchers, archivists, and museum curators gathered for a special panel at Museum London on Thursday afternoon. “This [event] is being put on by the Department of History at Huron College and Museum London in collaboration,” said TD Curator of Collections at Museum London, Zahra McDoom. “It is a time that we can reflect, at this point, about what it means for public spaces and cultural spaces like museums, to speak about Black history and to think about Black futures, and how to maintain that history and those visions for the future.” Their round-table discussion revolved around preserving local Black history during Black History Month. Panelists included Museum London’s Curator, along with representatives from the Amherstburg Freedom Museum, The Chatham-Kent Black Historic Society, and the Buxton National Historic Site. One topic that inspired the panelists was the importance of preserving oral histories, and the importance of helping people to make their history available to others, “It used to be that we could all gather around the dining room table at grandmother’s house and look through the family albums,” said Irene Moore Davis, assistant curator at the Amherstburg Freedom Museum. “Now everybody lives everywhere, and there isn’t that frequent sense of connection,” said Moore Davis. “So, when we can actually assist people to digitize what they have, even if they don’t want to surrender the originals, it’s something that actually makes it easier for their own family members to access that.” The museum will be hosting its second annual Black History Slam in continuation of it’s efforts to recognize and celebrate Black History Month on Feb. 13.
