FAAHPN Increases Efforts

FAAHPN Takes Preservation Efforts One Step Further With New Website


The Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network unifies and strengthens its role as a significant contributor to history and the arts through the establishment of their new website. (http://www.faahpn.com)

Funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, this website features the online availability of collections from various African American museums, giving the public easier access to rich and diverse Black culture in Florida. This is just the beginning of the move towards making the African American society a significant contributor to the arts, all while working to improve museum facilities and training the next generation of museum directors.

FAAHPN President and Founding Director Althemese Barnes says that "up to the end of the 20th century, African Americans had an abbreviated history of participation in mainstream historic and cultural preservation initiatives. In recent years, thanks to the network, much progress has been made. We are more involved in telling our story and promoting Florida’s African American history and culture.”

The aim of the FAAHPN is to:

• Identify the groups that take part in historic and cultural preservation, and to further strengthen what they do by initiating the right kind of support.
• It aims to be able to offer opportunities to share findings and information, and reach out to people who want to try to help.
• Work towards being able to provide continuing education for organization members, and to create better awareness for the need for preservation of historical resources and artifacts.
• Develop a website that addresses the needs of the network’s membership.

The new FAAHPN website features the online availability of various collections from African American museums across the state a listing and directory of all African American Museums in Florida. The foundation also works as a professional museum, preservation and restoration organization. This is driven by the need to preserve critically endangered historical records such as books, papers, photographs, diaries, artifacts, letters, as well as buildings and landmarks of African American heritage. (http://www.faahpn.com/faaphn/?page_id=247)


About FAAHPN: The network’s success in spearheading a program for African American cultural diversity can be seen through some of its notable accomplishments. Just recently, Dr. Lonnie Bunch, the director of the National African American Museum, the Smithsonian, and John Franklin, Director of Marketing and International Partnerships, the Smithsonian, participated in tours of Florida as guests of the John Gilmore Riley House & Museum and the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network. Also, the 2011 National Association of African American Museums Conference will be hosted by the museum and network in Tallahassee on August 3-6.

Apart from providing information on the many African American museums available throughout the state, visitors to the site will also find links to some of the richest collections of photographs on the web. Through the website, information about the group is more conveniently disseminates and makes the entire African American heritage more easily within reach of the learning public. Moreover, the online data collection is a catalyst to bring more visitors, scholars, researchers, students, preservationists, history buffs and artists to the doors of these outstanding mainstream historical museums.

The network accepts sponsorships and sponsorship package details may be found in the FAAHPN website. (http://www.faahpn.com/faaphn/?page_id=9)


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