We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kevin Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kevin , thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
As a young child, I dreamed of having a museum – or at least a place where I could gather all the things I cherished and invite people to come and enjoy them. The notion seemed whimsical at the time, but the realization that I could actually create my own museum did not come until many years later.
For more than 25 years, I have continued a family tradition of collecting and preserving items related to Black cultural experiences in America. My focus has been on the experiences of Black southerners who migrated north roughly a century after Emancipation. These items have primarily been personal – quilts, photographs, obituaries, military documents, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera related to Black life.
Perhaps it was a convergence of my passion and my historical outlook on unresolved race relations in the United States, but I became driven to preserve the experiences of Black people, particularly those of my family. I feared that these stories would one day be erased and that artifacts connected to them would be lost or destroyed. I knew that focusing only on topics like enslavement, the Civil War, Reconstruction, lynching, politics, and Black pleasure and joy, while ignoring the broader spectrum of lived experiences, would make it easier for some to whitewash history. I wanted to safeguard against that.
Through my business, Blactiquing, I visit antique shops, flea markets, and estate sales to acquire a wide range of items related to Black history and culture – from highly racist memorabilia to culturally significant artifacts. These collected items, often referred to as Black Americana, are powerful reflections of Black experiences, both troubling and triumphant.
When COVID hit, I realized that my collection had grown far beyond what I could store at home. In 2021, I organized the first pop-up exhibit in Saginaw, Michigan, showcasing more than 2,500 items. The event was a success, even though I had over 3,000 additional pieces that remained unseen. Visitors were moved by the collection and the stories behind each item. Many Black attendees expressed that the exhibit spoke to their realities, evoking both pride and reflection. They appreciated seeing the inherent strengths of Black culture on display and noted that such a collection was long overdue in their own community.
The overwhelmingly positive response sparked conversations about the region deserving its own Black museum – not one where people would have to travel long distances or incur significant expenses just to learn their own history. At that point, it was still unclear what the focus of the museum should be. Would it center around art, history, music, publications, or some other niche? I began organizing with my neighbors to create a museum under a generic moniker: a museum of Black experiences. We hoped that, over time, we would come to define what “Black experiences” truly meant and what type of museum it would become.
As we organized around this concept, the name and focus took on a life of their own. What started as a generic idea evolved into a proper name: A Museum of Black Experiences. We conveniently shortened it to the acronym A.Mus.B.E., pronounced “a-muz-be.” It became more than just a name – it became our rallying cry. When someone says “AMusBE,” we respond: “It must be.”
One of the core principles of AMusBE is to approach items differently than other museums that simply display racist memorabilia. We aim to interrogate these items, to challenge and contextualize what they say about contemporary times. Instead of allowing such artifacts to be mere relics of the past, we examine their ongoing impact and relevance. We want to create a space where critical conversations can happen, where difficult truths are confronted, and where history informs the present.
Moreover, we intentionally include the works of local Black artists, as well as those from across the state, to be in conversation with these historical pieces. By doing so, we hope to grow a fanbase around our local artists because they are deserving of recognition. We believe that pairing contemporary artistry with historical artifacts not only enriches the narrative but also highlights the ongoing creativity and resilience of Black communities.
It’s the same for our local histories. We strive to ensure that these stories are seen as part of a national and intentional story, with significance and relevance for today. By elevating local experiences alongside national conversations, we aim to break the perception that our history is somehow separate or lesser. Instead, we showcase it as integral to the broader American story.
Beyond being a historical repository, AMusBE aspires to be a vibrant community hub. We envision it as a place where local artists and historians can showcase their artistry and share their stories – opportunities they too often lack. This lack of visibility not only deprives the community of their creative contributions but also hinders artists’ participation in the broader art market, making it challenging for them to make a living.
We also want AMusBE to be a place of intergenerational learning. We hope it will be a space where children and parents can explore together, fostering a shared understanding of history and culture. Additionally, we envision the museum as an educational resource where teachers and students can extend their classroom learning with hands-on exhibits and community engagement.
In recent years, AMusBE has operated freely in a private home, despite being a 501(c)(3) organization with fundraising primarily focused on educational initiatives and inspiring the community to envision a permanent, independent museum. As we continue our journey, I sometimes wonder if we will ultimately keep the name. Nonetheless, AMusBE is thriving. We are hosting exhibits, filling vacant Board seats, and actively seeking a dedicated space to host the kinds of exhibits our community truly deserves.
At the end of the day, I want my legacy to reflect someone who sparked a national movement to collect, preserve, and widely share stories of Black experiences. I want people to know that our history and experiences – in the United States and beyond – cannot be erased or overlooked. Through AMusBE, I hope to inspire generations to recognize the importance of safeguarding our narratives, honoring our heritage, and ensuring that the richness of Black culture is celebrated, respected, and remembered.
Kevin , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Despite being a collector, curator, and now a museum operator, this is not the work I have been most known for. The majority of my professional career has been rooted in public health and the nonprofit social sector. My roles have consistently aligned with my personal passions and the issues that matter most to me.
I have had the opportunity to lead community engagement initiatives designed to recruit Black LGBT individuals into clinical trials, utilizing ethnographic strategies to foster trust and participation. I have also taught LGBT youth how to apply participatory action research skills to investigate the challenges affecting their peers. Additionally, I have worked with nonprofit organizations to develop performance measurement systems, enabling them to assess the strengths of their programs and strategically plan to make a meaningful impact.
My passion for nonprofit work, coupled with my growing knowledge and experience, led to senior roles where I could lend my expertise in running organizations, collaborating with boards and stakeholders, and spearheading grant writing and fundraising efforts. Alongside my professional career, I have remained committed to community work, which led me to establish the Black LGBT Archivists of Philadelphia in 2007. Our mission was to collect, preserve, and share Philadelphia’s Black LGBT history.
When I moved to Philadelphia in 2003, I was struck by the oral traditions of the Black gay community. The impact of HIV/AIDS on the community had been profound, taking the lives of many who were once central to those stories. I felt a deep responsibility to ensure that these histories would not be lost to future generations. Though I did not have a museum background, I understood community organizing, nonprofit management, and presenting information in a way that people could engage with and understand. I brought those skills and experiences into the museum space, realizing that in many ways, the museum and the creative aspects of this work had always been waiting to emerge.
I am proud of the successes that the museum idea has received, including the engagement we have seen on TikTok. More than 300 people have sent items related to Black experiences, from everyday objects like a grandmother’s racist salt and pepper shaker to rare memorabilia rescued from a father’s garage or a local antique shop. This collective effort has shown me that people are not just committed to preserving their own history but also to contributing to a larger, shared narrative.
Originally from Saginaw, Michigan, I spent a significant part of my early life in Detroit, where I attended high school. I went on to complete my undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and earned master’s degrees from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst (M.Ed.) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.P.H.). After spending more than 35 years away, I moved back to Saginaw when my dad had a stroke, feeling it was important to be closer to family.
Though my journey to museum work may seem unconventional, it is rooted in my lifelong commitment to community engagement, historical preservation, and making space for stories that matter. I see the museum as an extension of this commitment – a way to honor the past while inspiring future generations to value and protect their cultural heritage.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Nyesha Clark-Young is an exceptionally talented art educator and artist based in Saginaw, MI. I met her at a pivotal moment in my museum journey. After deciding to host a pop-up exhibition of my collection, I secured a space in a former funeral home. Over the next few weeks, more than 75 boxes were delivered to the space I planned to curate and open to the public for free. When it came time to unpack, I found myself completely overwhelmed—sitting on the floor, surrounded by boxes, unsure where to start.
Out of nowhere, like an Oshun-like goddess, Nyesha appeared. She introduced herself and asked what I was planning to do with the space. She shared that she had an art studio next door and expressed her excitement about my project. Without hesitation, she offered to help in any way she could—and help she did. Thanks to Nyesha’s support and the assistance of a few other dedicated individuals, we managed to set up the space and welcome over 300 visitors over three months.
Nyesha and I developed a routine: meeting most mornings for coffee and taking a walk to the local river, where we discussed our plans for the day and ways to advance the causes that mattered most to us. After the pop-up ended, I invited Nyesha to collaborate with me as a curator for a show on Black fraternities and sororities at Saginaw Valley State University, coinciding with a football game featuring Morgan State University. From there, our creative partnership blossomed.
Together, we embarked on numerous projects, most notably curating a highly successful exhibit at the Saginaw Art Museum. We invited eight other Black artists to participate, and the show—titled “Blactiquing Presents: The Black Hand Side”—marked a significant moment of recognition for Black art and accessibility within spaces that had not traditionally showcased our styles of artistry and curation. The exhibit sparked a renewed commitment to making Black art and history more visible and celebrated within the community.
In Nyesha, I found more than just a creative partner—I found someone fearless in pushing boundaries and expanding opportunities for others. She became the first board member for AMusBE, and her passion for art and community continues to inspire and uplift everyone around her.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In 2023, I took a leap and purchased a house built in 1857, with the vision of transforming it into an independent museum. This idea had been a long-held dream of mine, and it seemed like I would be staying in Saginaw, MI longer than I ever expected. When I first returned to Saginaw in 2020, it wasn’t by choice—it was out of necessity. My dad’s health had taken a serious turn, and his prognosis was so grim that I thought my stay would be short.
Five years later, I’m grateful to say that he’s still here. It hasn’t been easy. We’ve been through five different nursing facilities, each one leaving me more uncertain than the last. Finally, I found a place I can trust—somewhere I truly believe is giving him the best care possible. Even so, it’s heartbreaking to watch him struggle. Anyone who’s seen a loved one lose some of their physical abilities would understand—it’s tough. There are days when he’s weighed down by his ailments, contemplating whether this might be his last day.
But then, out of nowhere, he’ll ask me about the house. He’ll want to know how the museum plans are coming along. Those moments remind me of why I took on this project in the first place. It’s not just about the museum—it’s about resilience, about holding onto hope even when life feels heavy. It’s about honoring the dreams that have carried me through the tough days and creating something meaningful, something lasting, even in the face of uncertainty.
I didn’t expect to be here this long, but every time my dad shows interest, it feels like a small victory—a reminder that despite the challenges, we’re still moving forward. And that’s what resilience looks like to me: showing up, building dreams, and finding moments of light even in the midst of struggle.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amusbe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevvyj/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevintj
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevintjones/
Image Credits
Nyesha Clark-Young
Phil Eich
Kevin Jones