USI students from left, are Francine Salmon, Nautica Whatley and Jasmine Roland look at the True Black History Museum display at the University of Southern Indiana (USI) Tuesday, Feb. 11. (Tim Jagielo / WNIN News)
Traveling True Black History Museum includes sights, sounds and artifacts from recent history and times of slavery featuring actual iron plantation shackles; museum is touring US in mixed racial education landscape
True Black History Museum Curator Kayla Saffold is gently enclosing a set of rusted iron shackles into a red felt cloth, along with a small pile of raw cotton.
An African slave wore these heavy rough manacles on a plantation in the 1700s.
“It's a very humbling experience to be able to even have access to history — things that my ancestors just went through,” she said. “I try to just make sure that I'm as careful as possible just because of the meaning behind it and the history behind it.”
The shackles are one of the oldest artifacts of the True Black History Museum. The most modern included media from Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential run. The museum was on display for one half day at the University of Southern Indiana (USI) before being packed up to go to New York for another event.
The True Black History Museum was one additional educational opportunity brought to the tri-state area for Black History Month.
The museum was arranged on long tables in a multi-use room, with two museum employees available for questions. Projected in the background are select videos highlighting different sides of Black History. Public Enemy’s 1989 video “Fight the Power” plays after a section on Motown.
Saffold said it’s “True” Black History because of themes not always included in public schools. She feels it can provide a “deeper” history.
“Growing up … you only hear about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King — so just having all this available — the shackles, for example — those are hard to come across.”
Students Nautica Whatley and Jasmine Roland are perusing the museum, taking photos with their phones. The idea of history beyond what’s taught in school resonated with them.
“I think that schools like to sugar coat stuff and not tell you what the reality is,” Whatley said. “I think it's good to learn what actually happened so we can learn and grow from it.”
Roland appreciates the artifacts, presented without barriers like glass cases — though touching isn’t allowed.
“It was really cool to like, see things from other eras (and be) introduced in our time as well. And being so close, and being able to see it in reality.”
Artifacts include a signed Microphone from rapper Ice Cube or even sculpture art created hundreds of years ago. Another is a hand-carved comb, a significant other might present to their love.
The museum as a whole has more than 5,000 artifacts. These are split between a few teams that travel the US separately to different events and locations.
Other artifacts include signed documents from early black trailblazers like BK Bruce, first black register of deeds in the District of Columbia, who was appointed by President William Henry Harrison.
Physical artifacts include a brass manilla, a semicircle of brass used as currency in the slave trade.
Saffold said there has been a variety of reactions from visitors.
“Depending on the population, a lot of the younger kids that we do the exhibits for, it's been more of just shock and just anger. So it's interesting to see everyone's different reactions.”
Saffold said the plantation slave shackles have made the biggest point.
To see more artifacts, visit the True- Black History Museum site.
Currently, 12 states require Black History to be taught in schools, while 16 limit discussions on critical race theory.
According to Education Week, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an academic concept that is more than 40 years old.
The core idea is that race is a social construct, and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.
President Donald Trump is against CRT, but not necessarily against Black History Education. He issued a proclamation for National Black History Month recognizing consequential leaders today and in the past.
At the same time, Trump’s Department of Defense issued a memo stating that “official resources, including working hours, will no longer be used to mark cultural awareness months,” including Black History Month.
Deonte Turnley, USI Multicultural Program advisor, said some students have raised concerns over the safety of such educational opportunities.
“There is always in the back of your head that question of, ‘well, if the people that fund the university want to go in a different direction, how does that affect it?’”
There’s no talk of eliminating such educational opportunities at USI, and he said these programs are important for sharing the history between slavery and today.
“It's important that students be able to understand and recognize where we were in order to see where they're going.”
