The African American Museum of Iowa is a statewide museum dedicated to preserving, exhibiting, and teaching Iowa’s African American history. As Iowa’s leading educational resource on the topic, we educate more than 30,000 people each year through museum tours, traveling exhibits, research services, youth and adult education programs, and community and fundraising events.
Summary
The African American Museum of Iowa was founded by a small group of members of the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids in 1993. The church provided meeting space and money to launch the organization.
The African American Museum of Iowa was founded by a small group of members of the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids in 1993. The church provided meeting space and money to launch the organization.
The current facility was built in 2003. During the flood of 2008, we took on 5.5 feet of water and closed for several months to repair and rebuild. The museum reopened in January 2009 with our current permanent exhibit, Endless Possibilities.