CHICAGO (WLS) — Monday is the DuSable African American Museum’s 65th anniversary. As the oldest African American museum in the country, they don’t want to stop at 65 years. And the key to keeping Black history alive is getting young people through the door. ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch Whether it’s the first slice of celebratory cake or busing a new group in, the message is clear: It’s time for the next generation to continue the legacy. “It was valuable for me to learn it, you know, and it gives you a sense of who you are,” museum visitor Allfred Anderson said. Anderson took his 9-year-old granddaughter, Faith Bayliss, to the museum’s 65th anniversary. It was her first time there. But for him, it’s been a piece of the journey. “My dad took me to the museum when it was in the house of Dr. Burroughs,” Anderson said. Sixty five years ago, the museum was founded in the house of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs. It was then known as the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art, before being rebranded in 1968, and today becoming a place that rivals museums across the country. “In 1961, there wasn’t a place for African Americans to go see themselves in a positive light,” said Dilla Thomas, DuSable Museum brand ambassador. “The purpose of this institution is to show us that we’ve always had everything that we needed.” The new “Paris in Black” exhibit is just the latest installation doing just that, in the hopes it will reinspire families to support its mission. “We are in a time where people are not really excited about Black history, and I think that having our 65th birthday on Presidents Day just speaks volumes as to the strength and the support and the magnitude of the museum,” Wendy Williams said. And if the museum isn’t quite enough to remind young Black kids of that strength, Bayliss has some advice. “Listen to the song by James Brown, ‘I’m Black and I’m Proud,'” Bayliss said. The “Paris in Black” exhibit is open for at least another 18 months.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/dusable-african-american-museum-celebrates-65th-anniversary-presidents-day-2026-chicago/18609548/