5/29/2018 | Missouri State Museum | Jefferson City, MO
On May 29, the Missouri State Museum will debut its newest traveling exhibit, “BOOM!: The Rise and Fall of Missouri’s Black Business Districts.” Inspired by the Missouri State Parks-produced booklet “The Business: African-American Business People from Missouri’s Past,” this exhibit will interpret the history of five Black business districts throughout the state: The Foot in Jefferson City, The Wedge in Hannibal, Sharp End in Columbia, Vine Street in Kansas City and the Ville in St. Louis. Due to segregation, overt and institutionalized racism, such business centers served as the cornerstone of Black life, culture and survival in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibit will highlight the people and events, both local and national, which influenced the growth and devolution of some of Missouri’s most prolific and thriving business communities.
The opening program begins at 6 p.m. in the rotunda of the Missouri state Capitol. Following the ceremony, the public is invited to view the exhibit and attend the reception, both of which will be in the History Hall of the Missouri State Museum. The reception is sponsored by the Friends of the Missouri State Museum.
Click here to read the news release.
NOTE: After-hours access to the Capitol (after 5:30 p.m.) is through the garage on the east side of the building.