The Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society

"The connection to yesterday"

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Reasons to join Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you have a reason for joining the Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society.

Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society

Mission

To nurture respect, appreciation, and study of the African American heritage and contributions to southwest Michigan history.

Vision

Everyone in southwest Michigan values the heritage and history of African Americans in our region.

Statement of Purpose

We serve and empower residents of southwest Michigan to appreciate the heritage and history of African Americans in our region as a meaningful part of their contemporary lives.

• We aspire to be the premiere resource that illuminates and connects the past, present, and future of African Americans in southwest Michigan.
• We recognize the opportunities that our varied audiences present and the challenges we have to communicate the stories of African American heritage in ways that engage and have meaning for each learning style, each age group, and each personal history.
• We realize the need to communicate the stories of the African American people from pioneer settlers to present-day residents as they are related to each other and even to history as yet unmade.
• We understand that the material in the Society's archives have intrinsic value beyond their connections to our ancestors.
• We accept our responsibility to current and future generations to curate those archival objects we accept, and to accept only those objects we can curate appropriately.