27 February 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The oldest museum of Black culture in the country is the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago. Many people travel to Washington, D.C., to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Here in Wichita, The Kansas African American Museum at 601 N. Water offers an abundance of knowledge through history and has its own story. It started as the original Calvary Baptist Church and was a staple in the Black community in the early 1900s.
“We have all kinds of pictures in our archive about the early church,” said Denise Sherman, TKAAM executive director.
The church relocated in 1975, leaving the building and community in a state of certainty.
“When this building was scheduled for demolition, some of the church members were not happy about that,” said Sherman.
The controversy created a community.
“One particularly, Doris Kerr Larkins, her and her family and her sisters, actually waged a campaign against this building to not being torn down,” said Sherman.
She and others launched the first national Black History Society in 1973, and in 1998, it became the Kansas African American Museum.
“It really created a legacy for us, and in fact, we really consider this building as one of our largest artifacts because it’s one of two original buildings still standing from the early African American community,” said Sherman.
She says she learns something new every day she comes to work at the museum because it tells a comprehensive story.
The Black Belt Beginnings from 1870 to the 1930s chronicles the evolution and progression of the Black community in Wichita.
A map at the museum details the changes and shows the street today, known as Water was previously Church Street. The museum staff wanted to give people references and offer the opportunity to educate themselves.
“When we talk about culture, we encourage people to start wherever they need to start, and if they feel like they haven’t had much experience in culture, it is more than just reading during Black History Month or coming to a museum or just being apart of it. You have to immerse yourself in it,” said Sherman.
The history isn’t hidden, but there is a required effort to be enlightened.
The museum is in the process of expanding to a building on Main Street, which would double its size.
They are currently raising money to fund the multi-million-dollar project.