The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
Skyla S. Hearn is an experienced archivist and special collections librarian currently serving at the DuSable Museum of African American History since January 2016. Prior roles include Archivist and Collections Coordinator at Rebuild Foundation, and Visiting Instructor and Resident Archivist for Social Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Skyla has also worked as an Archival Consultant at Never-The-Same Chicago Ephemera Archives and as an Archivist at Chicago Public Media and the Chicago Public Library. Educational credentials include a Master of Science in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, complemented by a Special Collections Certificate, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Media Studies with a minor in Black American Studies from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Notable project involvement includes several significant photograph collections, highlighting a commitment to preserving cultural heritage.
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The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
In 1961, with a few dedicated colleagues and a dream, the artist/educator/writer/activist Margaret Taylor Burroughs established our nation’s first independent museum celebrating Black culture. Based on Chicago's iconic South Side, Burroughs was proud that the Museum was “the only one that grew out of the indigenous Black community.” The museum (later renamed to honor Jean-Baptiste Point DuSable, the Haitian-born founder of Chicago) has welcomed millions of visitors to its home in Chicago’s historic Washington Park to experience its innovative and timely exhibitions and powerful and transformative educational programs, which together place the African American narrative firmly within the broader context of U.S. history. Our educational programs use various mediums (art, film, literature, music, and dialogue) to explore and educate on major topics pertaining to the Black diaspora. Topics range from Black art and history to economic disparities, health and wellness, gender and sexuality, public policy, and more. As the oldest independent African American museum in the nation, we have a treasure trove of materials that are immensely beneficial not just to our own exhibitions and programming, but to the various museums, educational institutions, and research partners who frequently request our archival materials. We regularly work with the University of Chicago, Chicago State University, Chicago Public Schools, and other major museums in Chicago on collaborative projects centered on education, the arts, and community development.