African American Museum

Mission
The African American Museum and at Oakland is dedicated to discover, preserve, interpret and share the historical and cultural experiences of African Americans in California and the West for present and future generations.

History
In 1946 Eugene and Ruth Lasartemay and Jessie and Dr. Marcella Ford began collecting the oral histories and artifacts that documented the activities of African Americans in and around Oakland, the Bay Area and California. The materials, first stored in their home closets, basements and garages, soon outgrew these spaces. The Lasartemays and Fords relocated the collection to a storefront on Grove Street. The storefront was open two days a week, three to five hours a day. Visitors could find on file and pasted on the windows local and national newspaper reports on events of interest to African Americans. As interest in the storefront grew and its operating finances improved, so did the number of hours the center could remain open.

By 1960 the space on Grove Street had served its purpose. The collections' new home became the Golden Gate branch of the Oakland Public Library at 6505 San Pablo Avenue, making it the first Oakland city library with a predominantly African American focused collection. The assistance of Mayor Lionel Wilson, Assemblyman Elihu Harris, and others helped the organization establish a solid foundation in their new home. The collection continued to expand.

Cataloging methods improved and the membership roll increased. In 1964 the organization officially became the East Bay Negro Historical Society, Inc. It later changed its name to the Northern California Center for Afro-American History & Life, reflecting its emerging importance as a regional historical center.