Dallas

New, 300 Piece Exhibit Coming to African American Museum in Dallas

The African American Museum in Dallas is getting a new addition. The museum is preparing to unveil the updated traveling exhibit, 'Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty.'

Dallas is the first stop on the exhibit’s national tour boasting more than 300 pieces of art, documents and artifacts from the Virginia plantation. Organizers say this exhibit will feature never before seen items from the plantation.

"This is not just African American history, but this is American history," said Gayle Jessup White, Monticello’s Community Engagement Officer and a Hemings Family and Jefferson descendant. “We are given the chance to learn about all the men, women and children who at some point, were on that plantation.”

Dallas City Councilmember Kevin Felder spearheaded the effort to get the exhibit to Dallas first. It opens to the public Saturday, September 22 and runs through the end of the year.

“This exhibit coming to Dallas happened by chance. It literally happened in a cab ride,” said Jessup White. “Councilman Felder and I started talking. The more we talked, the more we thought it might be a great place to bring the expansion.”

Phillip Jones, President and CEO of VisitDallas agreed.

“I have been talking about this exhibit on my stops around the world,” said Jones in an early unveiling of the exhibit Thursday. “This is just once again showing out continued efforts to showcase the diversity of Dallas.”

The exhibition started its four-venue tour between 2012 and 2015 as a joint effort between the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington, D.C.

You can find ticket information here.

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