Education & Programs

PAHMUSA houses a unique collection of print materials to support the displayed artifacts. Education and outreach play a massive part in the programming. Since 1991, the founding members of PAHMUSA’S intention was to bring the little-known history of Black Americans to the classroom. Alliances with community schools and community institutions provide an outlet to extend Pahmusa's influence beyond the walls of its downtown location. PAHMUSA plays a pivotal role in educating students through scheduled tours, visits to the museum, docent programs, trips to Africa, fashion shows, dramatic and poetry presentations, music, and theatre. Pahmusa has taken the lead in offering programs to celebrate Black History Month, Kwanzaa, Juneteenth, and interfaith gatherings. Most importantly, Pahmusa is where  African and Black American history and culture converge to help paint a picture of the more than four-hundred-year struggle for equality.  Symposiums on economics, mental health, substance abuse, Black male disempowerment, police brutality, and poverty are a few of the many workshops, panel discussions, and community forums offered by Pahmusa.  We see the effects of this trauma being played out in cities across America every day. Crime, substance abuse, self-destructive behaviors, broken families, illiteracy, mental health disorders, homelessness, poverty, hunger, and a strict sense of feeling lost and without purpose. Society has attributed some negative behaviors to “Black Culture” and deemed them okay. Unaware of the consequences of habitual self-degradation, generation after generation has been unable or unwilling to break the shackles of oppression. PAHMUSA enhances community mindfulness. No longer can one say, “we do not know,” after visiting PAHMUSA. Timely cultural and historical programming with qualified experts shares relevant information. Pahmusa significantly impacts the economic and health status of our community.