Black history museum gets home in Redwood City

“The whole point is the education,” Carolyn Hoskins said. “I’m here to try and tell my story about my history, which is so rich, and to let people know that African Americans have contributed so much to this great country.”

The museum — which previously functioned as a pop-up event, staying in place for one to two months or doing county fair exhibitions — now has 22,000 square feet of exhibits and curated artifacts on display, telling stories of famous Black leaders, athletes, inventors and activists. It will also have programming and events throughout February for Black History Month.

Details are still being finalized for a long-term lease on the space, but both Becker and Carolyn Hoskins are excited by the prospect of the museum having a permanent home.

“This is just the beginning. We are waiting to finalize this lease, and we’re going to have Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center up on the front outside,” she said to thunderous applause from the gathered elected officials, museum board members and longtime supporters.

She also lauded Becker for his efforts in securing funding — “if he tells you he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it,” she said.

Becker, who negotiated funding for the museum from the 2023-24 California budget, said he was immediately drawn to the variety of assembled items, from photographs, newspapers and magazines to dolls, toys and records. Much of it is Carolyn Hoskins’ own collection, although some has been donated.

“I just couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe just the vast array of displays and the breadth of Black history represented here. Of course civil rights leaders get their due, and presidents get their due … but it’s also so much broader, around culture, around inventors,” he said.

The history of the pop-up museum began more than 20 years ago, when Carolyn Hoskins’ grandson Domini asked her for suggestions on famous Black contributors to American history aside from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for a book report.

“I was kind of tired of hearing about Martin Luther King, much respect to him, but they kind of push you on him, and that’s the only person that they do. So I was like, ‘is there anybody else that contributed?’ That kind of lit a spark in my grandma,” Domini Hoskins said.

Carolyn Hoskins also retold the story of Domini telling her “‘Grammy, I’m not doing another report on Dr. King, because I know everything there is to know about him.’”

The conversation originally inspired her to go to his elementary school, presenting to his class about Black history — and its rich and important role in America’s history as a whole. Other schools and classes asked her to give presentations and exhibitions from there, beginning her curation work.

Managing the museum, particularly without a permanent space, has been a challenge, Carolyn Hoskins said. She’s had to maintain several storage lockers to hold the collection when it’s not being displayed — and aside from becoming “best friends” with the storage employees, it wasn’t always the most efficient way to retain the museum’s contents.

“It was very hard because no matter how great you wrap something, it’s going to get damaged. So I have really lost a lot of valuable things that have gotten broken and couldn’t be replaced,” she said.

Multiple government officials also spoke at the event, expressing pride in the museum’s long history in the Peninsula and the prospect of it finally becoming a permanent fixture.

“As the CEO of the [San Mateo County Event Center], I’m really excited that we’ll be acting as the fiscal agent. I keep telling Carolyn, she’s going to quit her day job any minute … so she can dedicate 100% of her time to the success of the museum and learning center,” Dana Stoehr said, who has facilitated county work with the museum for some time. “What you have done has been nothing less than a miracle.”

San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller presented Carolyn Hoskins with a commendation at the event. The Board of Supervisors previously provided the museum with a $10,000 grant for the pop-up’s rent.

The museum’s purpose is centered on education, particularly for young people, Carolyn Hoskins said. For some students, their trip to the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center is the first time substantially learning about the Black experience in America, including segregation and racism — and when kids have questions, she’s ready to answer.

“I have it set up where when you walk in, you learn the history of African Americans coming to America, you learn about segregation — kids don’t realize that, because they go to integrated schools, so they have no clue that it wasn’t always legal for Blacks to go to the same school as whites,” she said. “So for them to ask me a lot of questions, that is what keeps me going, because I’m ready to answer the hard questions, and they want to know.”

The museum will be holding an event 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4, with a presentation of a pilgrimage of San Mateo County clergy who visited holy sites of the civil rights movement in 2023. They will reflect on the meaning these places hold today. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP is appreciated but not required: https://forms.gle/r5tmPJa7eag6huBD6

The event is made possible in part by generous donations from Peninsula Multifaith Coalition: peninsulamultifaith.org and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation: siliconvalleycf.org

More information about hours, events and Black History Month programming can be found on the museum’s website: hoskinsblackhistorymuseum.org