Museum, library partner to expand access to local Black history
The Cherokee Regional Library System has teamed up with the Walker County African American History Museum and Multicultural Center in LaFayette to broaden the community’s access to the rich history of African Americans in Northwest Georgia.
As part of this initiative, library patrons can now check out passes to the museum. These passes admit two adults and two children to the museum, where exhibits portray the impact African Americans have had on the local and surrounding communities. The museum showcases a variety of exhibits, including immersive digital installations highlighting the rich history of neighboring counties, to include Dade County. All that’s required is a valid library card. Passes are available at all four branches of the Cherokee Regional Library, located in Chickamauga, Trenton, Rossville, and LaFayette.
“The Walker County African American Museum and Multicultural Center is happy to partner with the Cherokee Regional Library System,” said Beverly Foster, president of the Walker County
African American History Museum and Multicultural Center. “It is wonderful to be a part of the many creative and informative programs offered by the libraries in Rossville, Chickamauga, LaFayette, and Dade County. Community libraries are
not only a center for books and reading, but a hub for local history, genealogy, social activities, and cultural understanding.”
“We’re very proud of the work that’s been done by the Walker County African American History Museum to preserve the very
significant contributions made to the area by our African American leaders,” said Cherokee Regional Library Assistant Director Chelsea Kovalevskiy. “We hope that this partnership will help bring additional attention to their accomplishments, as they continue to develop new and exciting content.”
This collaboration expands the Cherokee Regional Library System’s existing partnership program, which already offers passes to a variety of parks, museums, and educational sites, including the Creative Discovery Museum, Zoo Atlanta, Bremen Museum, and more. The full list of 16 passes can be found at chrl.org.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Georgia Public Library Service from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Service through the Library Service and Technology Act.
The grant also covers two supplementary kits — one for adults and one for children — aimed at enriching visitors’ understanding of the museum’s exhibits. These kits, complete with books and activities, offer additional national and local context for the exhibits on display in the museum.