BRYAN, Texas (KRHD) — The Brazos Valley African American Museum has been celebrating African American history and culture for almost two decades, providing important insights into our community's heritage.
- The museum is the first to promote the history of African American citizens in the Brazos Valley.
- It was built on the site of one of the original black schools in the Brazos Valley.
- The museum founder, Mrs. Mell Pruitt, started collecting black history documents as well as artifacts to share African American history with others.
- To see more Black History Month stories, clickhere.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
15ABC asked Barry Davis why it's so important for neighbors to learn about black history.
"Well, it's history, and history is important. So we learn from history, so we will be better."
The Brazos Valley African American Museum has celebrated African American history and culture for over 15 years.
"We were the fourth African American museum in the state of Texas," Davis said.
But this wasn't always a museum, at one point this land was home to the city's first black school in 1885.
"The land this museum sits on was where the first school for colored youth was built in Brazos County. Now, I'm not talking about in the city of Bryan, I'm saying in Brazos County, period," Davis said.
The school burned down in 1971 and the land remained untouched, until Mel and Willie Pruitt had a vision.
"An idea from the founder, Mel Pruitt, who started collecting black history documents and artifacts and basically to share this history with other, you know, people as they came up," Davis said.
But Mel and Willie didn't just want our neighbors to see with their eyes; they wanted everyone to immerse themselves in the culture.
"She wanted it to be in the shape of an A. Basically, why? To represent Africa," Davis said.
"Then she picked out some colors, basically black for the people, red for the blood they shared, and green for the prosperity that they helped bring to the country."
The interim director told 15ABC he's set on picking up where Mel and Willie left off.
"I'm not doing anything else that somebody else maybe didn't have the time or the knowledge and will to be able to do," Davis said.
"What we try to do is help preserve the history and basically continue what Mel and Willie Pruitt started."
