Meet the couple behind the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection, featured in CBS Saturday Morning and Good Morning America.
The Galveston and Texas History Center will display items relating to African American history in Galveston.
Bernard and Shirley Kinsey – the couple behind the largest private holding of African-American art and artifacts – will give a Juneteenth lecture in Galveston (the birthplace of our nation’s newest federal holiday) for part of the island's 2024 Juneteenth festivities.
While featuring original documents from the Kinsey Collection related to slavery and Juneteenth, "An Evening with the Kinseys" will focus on the “myth of absence” – how contributions made by African Americans in industry, art, science and politics have been omitted from history books. The Kinseys will discuss how they use their traveling art exhibit (currently on display at the Houston Holocaust Museum) to dispel this myth and provide the narrative of the full and rich contributions of African Americans to the building and shaping of the United States.
The lecture will be held from 5-9 p.m. June 21 at Galveston’s Rosenberg Library as a free event. Galveston historian and Juneteenth organizer Sam Collins said the island's Juneteenth events and attractions, which also include history tours, public art, and special Juneteenth exhibits, often seek to showcase broader narratives related to the holiday and how it changed the world.
“I often use the analogy of a salad to try and explain American history,” Collins said. “The lettuce and tomatoes are the stories of the founding fathers and early settlers you hear about all the time, but this history salad includes many other ingredients. We will flavor up the Juneteenth 2024 events by expanding the narrative around Juneteenth and other American history stories.”
Presentation starts at 6PM. Refreshments provided.
