About

The African American Museum of Cleveland, founded in 1953 by Icabod Flewellen is the first independent African American museum in the Americas. Its mission is to store, share, and educate the public on contributions made to the world by people of African descent.

Located in the historic Hough neighborhood of Cleveland since 1984, the African American Museum has served as an institution that has provided cultural awareness, education about Black history, and community events in addition to a collection of artifacts that represent a holistic view of the African diasporic experience.

The museum was closed in 2005 and reopened part- time in 2009 by a group of community volunteers. These volunteers keep the museum open Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays 10:00am- 3:00 P.M. They have also spearheaded a drive to raise funds to restore the museum and reopen it full time.