Roots 101 African American Museum — Attraction in Louisville

My 19-year old daughter and I made a quick stop in Louisville and visiting Roots 101 was one of several “must dos” for us. We walked into the museum at a time when Lamont Collins was engaged in a presentation and discussion with a group of young men visiting from Cincinnati. He is extremely engaging, knowledgeable and clearly has a passion for helping people make connections between history and everyday life today. He asked questions, was open to hearing others even when he did not necessarily embrace their same perspective, and was able to leave the group with thoughts and questions to further consider as we walked through the museum.

Though my daughter and I would have been extremely grateful simply to have heard Mr. Collins’ presentation, we then toured the museum. It is informative, moving, depressing and inspiring all at once. The collections in the themed rooms serve both as reminders of so many of the contributions of Africans and African Americans across many levels and areas of life, as well as the harsh realities that stem directly and indirectly from racism in its historical and present-day cultural and institutional manifestations.

We are so grateful to Mr. Collins for all he has done and continues to do to create this amazing museum. And, we know there is a community who offers their hard work, time, financial support, etc. to support the continuation of Roots 101. We thank them as well.

The Roots 101 African American Museum is something not to be missed by anyone...

My girls and I were in town after the Beyonce World Tour stop In Louisville, also looking for Black activities and found Roots 101 from searching Google.

Right away you are emotionally vested and submersed in the African American experience. The videos are highly informative, although a bit hard to hear. You learn how African Queens were always held in high regards by their King which was reflected in many of the pieces. The African pieces are vast and the entire collection is amazing. The shackles made us cry, the racist displays made us mad while the protest to progress and Black to the Future uplifted us. I found places in my hometown listed in the Greenbook, learned about Louisville black history & visited Big Momma’s house. Mr Collins asked my opinion about it and I told him the ONLY thing missing was plastic on the couch. If you had a Big Momma (like I did), it was like a blast from past. If you didn’t, enjoy the experience.

The owner and the staff were so very kind and we all thoroughly enjoyed our visit. They didn’t have the t-shirt’s we wanted in our size, so the t-shirt Man hooked us up and printed & pressed them right away.

We left knowing that we made our ancestors proud and most certainly felt...

It takes a lot to know what you don't know and when you allow yourself to be used as a pawn the only thing that suffers is humanity and the uneducated. Lemmings are easy to come by just ask questions of someone following the pack you will see what happens when history repeats itself.

This is a fantastic resource. I think that it should be on every school trip and on every required black history route. I found this more profound than the AAHM in DC only because this is a touchy feely museum. The first encounter is with the chain that was used to shackle the kidnapped/ captured/ and enslaved that were forced through the Middle Passage. The heft of the shackles was enough to make me think of how hard walking to the corner would be let alone a hike from an inner jungle to a port location that could be well over 20 miles.

That's the start, you then move through to present days. All without revisionist history in the mix!

This is done without tons of corporate support. There is one benefactor, however, that's it when they have so...