General Motors, whose vice president of corporate giving, Terry Rhadigan, sits on the museum’s board, made a $500,000 grant to the museum to support development of the exhibit and educational program, “Black Innovation, Invention and Leadership in Mobility,” over a one-year period.
“AHF’s efforts to create and share knowledge will spark social change through general education and promote new learning and career opportunities for our next generation of mobility leaders and influencers,” Rhadigan said in the release.
The K-12 educational program is expected to provide an opportunity for expanded field trips to the museum, Cook said.
The GM grant supports the hiring of project consultant Micala Evans, a noted scholar of African American studies, to lead curatorial work and research for the exhibition under a two-year contract and the permanent hire of Kathleen Donald as vice president of operations and programs. In this newly created role, Donald will help lead the museum’s re-imagination efforts.
With the hires, the museum, which is operating on a budget of just under $1 million, has a staff of 13.
Research to identify lesser-known African American contributors to the automotive industry is just beginning through the collection of oral histories along with expected artifacts and other related materials, Cook said.
The exhibition is likely to grow and evolve as more stories are uncovered and future contributions from African Americans are recognized, she said.
