Heritage and Memory: The Role of African American Museums and Centers in Preserving Our Stories (Podcast)

Places of Power: Preserving African American Heritage Through Place and Memory

In this thought-provoking episode, we bring together two leaders at the forefront of African American cultural preservation: Dr. Andrea Douglass, Executive Director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Malika N. Pryor, Chief Learning and Engagement Officer at the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.

Together, they explore the profound significance of place; not merely as physical locations, but as living vessels of memory, resistance, and identity. Why are these institutions rooted in historically charged landscapes? How do these spaces connect across geography and time to tell stories that challenge, uplift, and transform?

This conversation goes beyond preservation—it is a meditation on the power of reclaiming space, on community as archive, and on the urgent need to confront history with clarity and purpose. Listeners will gain rare insight into how these museums serve as bridges between the local and the national, the past and the future, the personal and the collective.

Whether you’re an educator, a cultural worker, or someone seeking a deeper understanding of America’s layered histories, this episode will leave you reflecting on how the places we honor shape the legacies we carry…and contemplate the futures that can be imagined.

Featured Panelists: Dr. Andrea Douglass, Executive Director, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, Charlottesville, VA

Malika N. Pryor, Chief Learning and Engagement Officer, International African American Museum, Charleston, SC