Long Island s only African American Museum, opened in 1970, is a multi-disciplinary cultural institution that provides art and history exhibitions, film presentations, community service events and educational programming. The museum, located at 110 North Franklin Street in Hempstead, has 6,000 square feet of space and offers a rotating series of exhibits showcasing local and national African American artists. A primary goal is to disseminate the history of African Americans on Long Island and the contributions of African Americans to the social development of American society
The African American Museum provides programming and events that foster the intellectual development of local residents and visitors with an interest in African American art, history and culture. Its current exhibit, Prominent African Americans of Long Island, profiles outstanding African Americans who either were born or lived on Long Island (including Brooklyn and Queens), from Louis Armstrong to Ashanti, and Jim Brown to Julius Dr. J Erving. A treasured item in the museum s permanent collection is the piano of famous jazz composer Eubie Blake, who died in Brooklyn in 1983.
The museum also houses the African Atlantic Genealogical Society, Inc., which provides workshops and individual research instruction in family genealogy. The museum has also installed an E-Learning Program that offers a unique approach, using subject headings on the internet relative to Americans of African descent
The African American Museum of Nassau County, sponsored by Nassau County, Verizon, and Simpson Enterprises, is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 AM to 5 PM. From Exit 19N of the Southern State Parkway, you go north on Peninsula Blvd. and make a left onto North Franklin Street. For further information call (516) 572-0730, or go to their website, www.aamoflongisland.org.