MONROE, La.– As the first week of black history month draws to a close, we visited an African American history museum right across the river in Monroe.
Museum manager Ross Slacks says that black history goes far beyond suffering and pain. Its a story of strength and perseverance.
“Black contribution are a tremendous asset to this country, not only in black America but America in general. We just have a month set aside to let people understand that we are a contributing society to America.”
The North East Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum’s mission is to shed light on black men and women, who in spite of prejudice, and injustice became productive members of society. Slacks says that this is what the youth of today need to see.
“We can do better as a people once we understand where we come from and what we are doing we are very inventive people we do a lot of things that other people wish they could do, and a lot of times it was not given to us.
Its important for us to understand as a society that black contribution in America goes beyond sports and entertainment
“Use your minds become educated in the fields you want to be, we don’t have to entertainers, we don’t have to athletes, we can be other things, in this area here, we show great artists, we show great works we show great inventors and we like people to know that we can do all sort of things.”
Representation matters. Our youth need to see successful people who look like them.
You are what you know and what you see and that what we need to let them understand that what you see other black people do, you can emulate them also.”
