The Roots 101 African American Museum was founded by its CEO, Lamont Collins, in 2019. The museum commemorates African American history as well as a host of Black experiences through thoughtful exhibits.
“I’ve lived in Louisville all my life, and I know that our history is never told, unless you have a family member to tell you that individually. Black history just isn’t taught,” Collins said.
Collins began noticing these disparities in his early childhood. His family moved to Bashford Manor, a predominantly white neighborhood at the time, when Collins was around 10 years old. When playing sports as a boy, he noticed that the conversation surrounding Black athletes often underestimated their influence.
After playing football at the University of Louisville, Collins worked in various industries, getting his start working for the tobacco company Philip Morris. He worked there for 15 years, during which he sued the company because of concerns over promotions not being provided to Black people. After working as a broker in the coal industry, as well as other jobs, Collins founded Roots 101, naming the museum as such to represent the introductory education it provides to visitors.
“So I’ve done a little bit of everything. But this is the greatest thing I’ve done because I went from a business mind to a purpose-driven mind,” Collins said.
Collins spoke about the various exhibits on display, such as the nationally recognized exhibit “Big Momma’s House”. The exhibit recreates a grandmother’s, or a “Big Momma’s”, house, with family photos, accomplishments, and other artifacts of African American family culture.
“And we would not have the story of history without Big Momma’s House because Big Momma’s House has pictures on the wall of things we created, things that we did as kids. Our first graduation, the first one that graduated from college,” Collins said. “And those pictures on the wall became our history because our history wasn’t in history books.”
This exhibit showcases the important work that Black women and grandmothers have done to preserve their cultural history.
Additionally, the museum showcases certain exhibits in hopes of “making the comfortable uncomfortable.” Collins describes this as educating people about periods of history that are often misrepresented or glossed over, allowing visitors to gain a better understanding of the usually horrific events that occurred. For example, the exhibit “Protest to Progress” commemorates innocent Black people whose lives were unjustly taken, including Emmett Till, Breonna Taylor and Sandra Bland. The exhibit contains a casket covered with names and a mirror in the center, allowing the visitor to picture themselves inside.
“I’m asking young people, ‘what are you going to do?’ If you look in a casket and see that mirror, what kind of world do you want to live in?” Collins said.
Similarly, the exhibit “The Circle of Hate” reinforces this goal. The dimly lit room contains a life-sized model of a 1920s member of the Klu Klux Klan (KKK) sitting atop a horse, both draped in white sheets. The statue, along with various informational plaques on the wall, evoke the haunting imagery of the time period and the grim realities of history.
“Black history is American history, and it’s not 28 days in a month. It’s 365 days. So I stand on that, move on that,” Collins said. “I don’t allow people to separate Black history from American history.”
Additional exhibits celebrate Black excellence and culture throughout history. “The Roots of Music” showcases framed records, traditional African drums and numerous American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) awards. The purpose of the exhibit is to highlight Black influence on music history.
Another exhibit, “Stomp the Yard,” focuses on the Divine Nine sororities and fraternities along with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It showcases facts, history and culture of both entities, like the letterman’s jackets of Zeta Phi Beta and Delta Sigma Theta, along with other clothing items and informational plaques.
As well as numerous exhibits, Roots 101 hosts a variety of events and programs related to Black culture and history throughout the year, such as the Sanfoka Players, a traveling musical performance group focused on storytelling and ancestry.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, the museum hosted a book preview and discussion showcasing the recently published “Extra, Extra Read All About It! Georgetown Stories by Daddy’O the Paper Boy!” by Alaska Williams. Williams grew up in Georgetown, a Black hamlet in Harlan, Kentucky. While it was once a vibrant community in Eastern Kentucky, Georgetown no longer exists, as it was destroyed by flooding in 1977. Williams has done considerable community networking to commemorate his childhood home.
“We are trying to encapsulate a history that could be lost, but we are trying to save it,” Williams said.
At the event, Williams explored various chapters of the book, highlighting and explaining certain chapters while recalling memories and connecting with the audience. Williams’ friends and family, along with many community members, showed up for his stories and remarks. When discussing both poignant and comical moments from his early years, Williams emphasized the importance of his efforts to memorialize Georgetown and its institutions.
“Woke means that you should be awake, you should be awake to your history. The story I’d like for anyone to learn from this is that history means something,” Williams said.
This message of connectivity, which echoes throughout Roots 101, is an important principle Collins has brought to the table when curating both exhibits and community outreach. The museum’s mission is to celebrate the African American community, and it has gained national recognition.
“The sad thing is I have all kinds of national attention, nationally ranked, but for the city of Louisville, there hasn’t been the financial support that it should be in this community,” Collins said.
According to Collins, the museum doesn’t rely on endowments or money from the city of Louisville to operate. Roots 101 is a non-profit organization that accepts donations.
In the heart of downtown, the museum is open for visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
