Domini Hoskins Museum gets state funds

“I am so thankful to Sen. Becker, who understands and sees the value in ensuring we will be around for generations to come,” Hoskins said in a statement. “The grant will go a long way, but more is needed to establish a permanent location.”

Hoskins said she has yet to decide on a specific place for the museum but is adamant about staying in San Mateo County. She hopes to find a place with lots of foot traffic with shops, restaurants and hotels close to it so people traveling and visiting the area can also go to the museum. She acknowledged she needed to be realistic about survival because more money is still needed to open a permanent spot, with the hope other contributors will help find solutions.

“I’ve been doing this for close to 40 years, and I am open to any place that will benefit the Black History Museum, Hoskins said.

The museum has operated in locations throughout the county for years as Hoskins works to find a permanent home for the museum instead of being open for a short period. It started operations in Belmont, where Hoskins lives, before moving to Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, Redwood City and the San Mateo County Fair thanks to benefactors and community donations.

Hoskins said Becker visited the museum several times earlier in the year and could not believe it did not have a permanent home, pledging support to make it a reality. There were initial discussions about East Palo Alto being a potential location, although that has cooled.

“I’m excited to be able to support Carolyn Hoskins and her vision for the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum with this funding,” Becker said in a statement. “She has assembled an incredible collection, and I want to see it get a permanent home. The final location is still to be determined. The initial idea was East Palo Alto as the location, but that is still to be decided. We’re excited to work with Carolyn on finding the best location for this collection.”

Hoskins founded the mobile museum 25 years ago to help answer her grandson’s question about famous Black people in history. Her grandson Domini did a school report on Martin Luther King Jr. and wanted to know if there were other famous Black people, as he hadn’t been taught by anyone else. Hoskins, who was married to the late San Francisco 49ers football player Bob Hoskins, said she wants the community to learn about the full history of Black people in the country beyond a few people in history books. The museum is broken down into more than 200 different categories, including slavery, Barack Obama, Coretta Scott King, soul food, Black hair, inventions, the diversification of the toy industry, Black women and music. Other rooms are available to celebrate Black sports figures who have not always been welcomed, like Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Jerry Rice, Oakland Raiders Head Coach Art Shell, Muhammad Ali, the Harlem Globetrotters and the WNBA.

The museum was open in Redwood City this year and at the San Mateo County Fair for its 10th year. The museum collection is currently in storage as Hoskins works to find a new temporary location for the upcoming year.