TKAAM unites community through its rich history

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Tucked away on Water Street, there’s a treasure filled with rich stories.

“A lot of the reactions often are ‘I may not have heard that before’ or ‘I didn’t know that story,'” said Brad Richards, education manager at the Kansas African American Museum.

Pieces of history and art exhibits shine a light on the Black Kansas experience.

“Black history is American history is your history,” Richards explained.

The Kansas African American Museum‘s mission is to make that story resonate with everyone.

“To close gaps and to bridge stories and to make connections and then allow people to discover where they belong in that story,” said Denise Sherman, TKAAM executive director.

An understanding of the past unites the community.

“We get diverse groups coming in and sharing their insights, sharing their perspective,” Richards said. “It creates a space for conversation and really brings people together to have sometimes difficult conversations.”

Each visit empowers the future.

“I always ask, ‘You can make any change in your community, what would it be?’ and it always excites me and always surprises me when you know 20-30 kids raised their hand up real fast with these ideas about things that we see are issues in our community,” Richards said.

The nonprofit is writing a new chapter with an expansion.

“Double our space and increase our technological capacity to be able to showcase the stories and make it more of an immersive experience for people,” Richards said.

Amplifying their story on Main Street.

TKAAM is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12-4 p.m.
Exhibits change several times throughout the year.