WILMINGTON, N.C. — Black History Month is a time to reflect on the struggles and injustices imposed on Black people throughout history, as well as a time to celebrate how far society has come in its journey toward equality.
In Wilmington, a city rich with Black history, one museum is dedicated to sharing that history every month of the year, not just in February.
What You Need To Know
- The Burnett-Eaton Museum Foundation is Wilmington’s first museum solely dedicated to the region’s Black History
- The museum is within the former home of physician and civil rights activist Dr. Hubert Eaton Sr.
- The museum is free to the public by appointment Tuesdays through Sundays
The Burnett-Eaton Museum Foundation is within the former home of physician and civil rights activist, Dr. Hubert Eaton Sr.
Islah Speller, the museum’s founder and executive director, said that’s why it was the perfect place to start a museum about the region’s Black history, a history Speller has grown to become quite passionate about.
“It was a history that was not taught in school,” Speller said. “And being an elderly person today, I have a greater appreciation for the struggle, the tenacity and the courage that African people had to endure in North America.”
The Burnett-Eaton Museum is Wilmington’s first and only museum solely dedicated to Black history.
“We have antebellum history, we have civil rights, a large collection of civil rights history,” Speller said. “As well as (a) history of great artists from Wilmington North Carolina.”
Speller also has lots of displays and information on some of Wilmington’s most iconic Black history, including the Massacre of 1898, the United States Colored Troops, the Gullah Geechee and plenty of civil rights activists.
Violence played a role in the genesis of every historical event. That violence is the exact reason why Speller said she started the museum.
“The purpose of the museum was to give an alternative to violence and harness the positive energy of youth in the community,” Speller said.
She said by learning about such a violent past, she hopes that peace can be found now and in the future.
“So it’s important that all people understand the atrocity and the inhumane act,” Speller said. “That we can all live for the pursuit of happiness for all people and for liberty and justice for all.”
The Burnett Eaton Museum Foundation is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. by appointment only.
The museum itself is free, but there is a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children.