The museum is holding a soft opening from 2-7 p.m. on June 17 as part of the city’s Juneteenth celebration.
The details
The Plano African American Museum is located at 900 13th St., in the Douglass Community, a historically Black neighborhood in downtown Plano.
The museum will feature an exhibit called “This is Douglass: Faith, Family, Forever,” showcasing photographs collected from longtime residents of the area, according to its news release from the museum. The museum is also set up like an authentic early-1900s home in the Douglass Community.
Dollie Thomas, a member of the Plano African American Museum board of directors, said the museum plans to have a lecture series and various temporary exhibits while also working with Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano. Thomas added that the museum will begin to add hours after the soft opening, with the goal of eventually being open six days a week.
A long time coming
Thomas has always lived in the Douglass Community or had family in the area, and her father, Ben Thomas, originally started the Plano African American Museum in 2006 when he found a lack of recorded history about Plano’s Black community.
“He started talking to people about it, and was like, ‘Why don't we just start a museum?’,” Dollie Thomas said.
After losing a major source of funding, the museum closed in 2011. Dollie Thomas and several others have been working to refurbish the museum for “several months.”
Dollie Thomas said she’s received support from the Plano community since she started working to reopen the museum.
“When people pass by, they’ll come in and ask what I’m doing or offer to help,” Dollie Thomas said. “This building has been empty for 10 years, but nobody’s broken in or set it on fire. Nobody’s tried to do anything to this house because people are taking care of it, and they know we’ve been looking to reopen. (The community) is ready.”
Why it matters
The Plano African American Museum is the only museum in Collin county that focuses on Black history, which is one reason Thomas is passionate about the project.
“This is something that is dedicated to African American history and culture—it was very important to get it back up and running, because there is nothing like this,” Thomas said.
Thomas added that the museum, and the Juneteenth celebration, is meant for the entire community.
“We opened it up for everybody,” she said. “Most people think that Juneteenth is just a Black holiday, but everybody should celebrate freedom. ... We invite anybody who has that desire to learn.”
Learn more
More information about Plano’s Juneteenth celebration can be found on the events website, and more information on the Plano African American Museum can be found on the museum’s website.
