Dr. Harry Robinson lifts the African American Museum into unprecedented territory.
How do you find a truly great African American Museum?
Very carefully, tenaciously and with a lot of help from your friends.
That’s what Dr. Harry Robinson, Jr. experienced when he turned a lifelong quest into a powerful reality. As the guiding light behind the African American Museum, Mr. Robinson has shaped the Fair Park facility into a nationally recognized destination/institution.
“I’m so proud that this museum has been claimed by the community,” he states, “and is becoming a premier regional cultural center…my original vision. Since 1981, it has not only been a place that spotlights all facets of black history, but African American arts and lifestyles.” No other museum boasts such gems as African American decorative arts, Sepia Magazine’s important photo archive, or the carefully researched archaeological specimens of the Freedmen’s Cemetery collection. Libraries, churches and civic groups have come together to coordinate these efforts.
History beckons.
A man who immerses himself in everything African American, Harry Robinson could have been an industrial arts teacher, back when he was a student at Southern University on the banks of the Mississippi. Health reasons prompted him to instead major in History and minor in Library Science, which led to digging deep into the school’s library archives for anything on African American history. “It fascinated me…all the papers and photos about Louisiana and its role in who we are.”
At Atlanta University—where Harry attended graduate school with a major in Library Science—he researched the volumes of African American history that made him the legend he is today. “Dr. Annette Phinazee, head of Special Collections, exposed me to some outstanding works. So passionate about her work she once wept when Dr. Martin Luther King—whose father was on the board of the University—left his important papers to Boston University instead.” Robinson became intent on archival work and obtaining great additions to the library.
After earning his Ph.D at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and heading up special collections for Alabama State, Robinson came to Bishop College in Dallas as librarian and Museum Director. “Our vision was to establish an African American museum with strong art and history collections. We got the museum going in 1974 with help from people like Annette Strauss and Ray Nasher.” But the building grew too small, so in 1984, the museum got on the bond election to build a new facility at Fair Park. “Getting funding was not easy, but once again, major foundations and civic leaders came through.”
Educating and enlightening generations to come.
Today, Dr. Robinson marvels at all the meaningful experiences that the African American Museum brings to the area, from its rich heritage of black art (African, African American fine art, folk art, decorative art and storytelling) to historical and political collections. It is an unmatched, distinctive facility that confronts past and present while celebrating the spirit of expression. “I always hoped this blend of important African American history and art would come to fruition. Our current goal is to work more closely with our school system, and inform students on the many contributions of African American individuals to every realm from … science and entertainment to lawmaking and sports.”
Though Harry Robinson works constantly to enhance the museum’s offerings, this New Orleans-area native is never too busy for some gumbo and jambalaya. He also serves on the boards of Southfair Community Development Corporation and the Dallas Museum of Art, and as librarian of Good Street Baptist Church. As a hobby, he savors the architecture of cities he visits. The buildings of Chicago and New Orleans fascinate him most.
Someone once said that Harry Robinson would never succeed at creating a museum of this magnitude and impact. Looking at the proud, inspired faces of the families that visit the African American Museum is proof that the man is vision and action in one.
For information on the African American Museum, visit www.aamdallas.org.
