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The mission of the African American Heritage Project is to gather, preserve, and share material culture and oral histories that reflect the lives and experiences of the African American community in Davidson County, North Carolina.
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This project is a collaborative initiative involving museum staff, volunteers, interns, local leaders, and community members. Together, they work to enhance the content of Black History within the Davidson County Historical Museum’s permanent artifact collection, digital archive, and public research files.
You can join the African American Heritage Project and contribute to the preservation of Black history at the Davidson County Historical Museum. Your contributions will support exhibits, programs, and our research library, ensuring the legacy of the African American community is preserved and shared.
There are several ways to get involved:
Call For Oral Histories: Do you have a story to share?
If you are interested in participating in the African American Heritage Project: Oral History Series as an interviewee, or know someone that you’d like for us to interview, please fill out and submit the Pre-Interview form below. Once your form is reviewed someone from the African American Heritage Project team will be in contact with you. Click here for a printable version of the form.
Call For Artifacts: Have an object, photo, or document to share?
The Davidson County Historical Museum is in need of artifacts and photographs that represent African American History in Davidson County.
What kind of objects are of interest?
Objects that provide a glimpse into the daily lives and culture of the local Black community as well as items relating to topics of race relations and Civil Rights are of interest. This could include but isn’t limited to, artifacts and archival materials like:
Photographs (of local families, places, or events)
Records (such as school or employment records belonging to African American citizens)
Written Correspondence (pertaining to local families, places, or events)
Family Heirlooms (such as household objects, hand-written recipes, textiles, etc.)
Items relating to Civil Rights Movement and social justice (such as posters or clothing used in local protests and demonstrations)
Items relating to Racial Segregation (such as signs used to enforce segregation or objects from segregated facilities)
Other items may relate to local historic African American schools, churches, and civic and social groups
To Make a Donation Objects Can Be:
Permanently Donated (Greatest Impact)
Temporarily Loaned (Expands Current Exhibits and Programs)
Copied/Digitized (Builds Research Files)