The Buffalo History Museum acknowledges the painful history of systemic racism and injustice experienced by the Black community locally and across the nation. The struggle for racial equality and social justice is ongoing; we will be allies through listening, education, advocacy and action.

We are dedicated to making our Museum a place for conversation and examination; a place where together we can make meaningful change happen.

We will continue to:

• Actively seek out diverse voices in our community and listen.
• Collaborate with community partners to ensure authentic stories are shared.
• Expand our programming and exhibits to be more inclusive and accessible.
• Reassess our contemporary collecting practices including those of our current “Chronicling COVID-19” initiative

We recognize the troubled role museums have played in creating complicit narratives and the need to do a better job representing stories otherwise left untold. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to the collection and protection of Western New York’s artifacts and stories, and we promise to more fully represent the experiences of the Black community and other communities of color, for everyone, forever.

Black Lives Matter

Local Cultural & Heritage-Based Organizations

Here are some organizations in our community to visit, support, and learn from:

African American Cultural Center

The Colored Musicians Club

Buffalo Niagara Freedom Station Coalition/Michigan Street Baptist Church

Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission

Nash House Museum

Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center

Ujima Company, Inc.

Uncrowned Community Builders

Local Service & Business Resources

Here are some service organizations and businesses in our community to visit, support, and learn from:

African Heritage Food Co-Op

Black Love Resists in the Rust

Buffalo NAACP

Feed Buffalo Food Pantry

List of Black Buffalo Businesses

The National Federation for Just Communities of WNY, Inc.

PUSH Buffalo

Rooted in Love, INC.

As we plan the Museum’s reopening and future, we are more curious than ever to know how we can help our guests, partners, and neighbors adapt and thrive. How might we use our own heritage-inspired mission to help you and the communities that you serve and live in become stronger?

The Buffalo History Museum reopens to the public August 1 with free admission through the remainder of 2020. Guests will be able to experience Buffalo’s unique history with new policies and procedures to ensure the safety of all who enter the Museum’s buildings.

Beginning in August, advanced registration will be available to the public.