Bed-Stuy woman curates African American museum in the basement of her home

A Bed-Stuy woman is educating the public about the history of the black experience with an exhibit inside her home.

News 12 Staff

Feb 28, 2020, 11:58 AM

Updated 1,517 days ago

Share:

A Bed-Stuy woman is educating the public about the history of the black experience with an exhibit inside her home. 
 
Exhibit owner Elander Williams says she felt the need to start the collection after having a conversation with her son and asking him if he understood the meaning of the word "perpetrator.”

"I asked him did he know what a perpetrator was, and he said ‘yes, a black person’ and I was devastated. I felt like a failure as a mom, that I had not done my job correctly in teaching him about his culture and his race," says Elander Williams.

Williams says she wanted to educate her son about his history so she created a collage in his room, showcasing dozens of prominent black people in a positive light.

That collage eventually growing into the African American History Exhibit in her cellar, where she allows the public and students from her son's school to tour the collection.

"Hopefully coming through this exhibit and just seeing what your ancestors had gone through and what we still today are going through that, you know, we will have a better outlook or the narrative will change," says Williams.

The tour showcases different aspects of African American history from the moment slaves were taken from Africa, to the civil rights movement, all the way to the 21st century.

To view the exhibit, people make a $10 donation, which goes to Bedford Academy, the school Williams' son attends.

Williams says people book the tour after hearing about it through word of mouth, but she's working on creating a website that people can use for bookings.

"It's a story that needs to be told over and over and over again," says Williams.


More from News 12
0:55
NYPD: Search for person in the water near Coney Island boardwalk unsuccessful

NYPD: Search for person in the water near Coney Island boardwalk unsuccessful

1:56
Temperatures to plummet overnight; winter-like chills expected Thursday morning

Temperatures to plummet overnight; winter-like chills expected Thursday morning

1:47
Libraries could see new changes following no reversal of $58.3 million budget cut

Libraries could see new changes following no reversal of $58.3 million budget cut

1:52
Hundreds don denim to stand in solidarity with sexual assault survivors

Hundreds don denim to stand in solidarity with sexual assault survivors

1:14
Police Athletic League hosts annual singing and dancing competition for kids

Police Athletic League hosts annual singing and dancing competition for kids

1:35
New Yankees murals at Bronx Terminal Market pays homage to Black baseball legends

New Yankees murals at Bronx Terminal Market pays homage to Black baseball legends

1:45
Dunkin' on Rockaway Parkway reopens following upgrades

Dunkin' on Rockaway Parkway reopens following upgrades

0:21
Express announces 2 Brooklyn stores to close after filing for bankruptcy

Express announces 2 Brooklyn stores to close after filing for bankruptcy

1:53
Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

1:21
Fire officials: 5 families displaced by Bensonhurst fire, 7 firefighters injured

Fire officials: 5 families displaced by Bensonhurst fire, 7 firefighters injured

1:04
DOT adds $6 million to boost overnight and evening deliveries over peak hours

DOT adds $6 million to boost overnight and evening deliveries over peak hours

0:20
MTA service alerts system now includes bridges, tunnels

MTA service alerts system now includes bridges, tunnels

0:18
NYPD: 26-year-old fatally shot in the neck, torso in Crown Heights

NYPD: 26-year-old fatally shot in the neck, torso in Crown Heights

1:46
Traverse Green-Wood Cemetery in 'And Then, Now' performative walk experience

Traverse Green-Wood Cemetery in 'And Then, Now' performative walk experience

0:38
DA: Brooklyn man sentenced to life for deadly armed robbery, shooting in East Williamsburg

DA: Brooklyn man sentenced to life for deadly armed robbery, shooting in East Williamsburg

1:31
Protesters hold Seder sit-in at Grand Army Plaza

Protesters hold Seder sit-in at Grand Army Plaza

0:59
City now has power to padlock illegal cannabis stores

City now has power to padlock illegal cannabis stores

DA: 3 teens indicted for killing bystander, wounding 4 in subway shooting

DA: 3 teens indicted for killing bystander, wounding 4 in subway shooting

1:57
State taxi federation raises reward for information to help stop carjackings, robberies

State taxi federation raises reward for information to help stop carjackings, robberies

2:16
New bill would hold Brooklyn landlords accountable of unacceptable living conditions

New bill would hold Brooklyn landlords accountable of unacceptable living conditions