The Great Plains Black History Museum is located on North 24th St. and has been operating since 1976. Despite its size, the museum is filled to the brim with Black history artifacts from Omaha and around the United States. Visiting the museum is free to the public, but memberships are available to access special events. The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekly.  

The museum currently has 10 exhibits, with seven of them lasting for limited periods. When visiting the museum, visitors have the option to view the exhibits through a guided tour or to see the exhibits on their own.  

The Great Plains Black History Museum also offers a variety of events. Most recently, the museum offered “Legacy Quest: A Black History Month Scavenger Hunt” on Saturday, Feb. 22. Targeted towards children, visitors were given a bingo-like question board designed to guide participants to facts pertaining to Black history in Omaha. Additionally, the museum will do informational presentations on Black history. February is the busiest time of year for the museum.  

One of the permanent exhibits, “Hate & Hope,” is one of the most stirring exhibits on display. The exhibit juxtaposes examples of the violence African Americans endured with key influential African American figures who were involved in civil rights movements and current politics. Included figures were Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama and Kamala Harris. According to the museum’s website, “This exhibit focuses on the ugly parts of history in the Great Plains and positive events in Omaha as well as other parts in America.” 

Another permanent exhibit is “African American History Through Street Signs,” which displays Omaha street signs that were named after African Americans. The third permanent exhibit, “24th & Glory,” highlights athletes from the Omaha area, as well as the civil rights movement.  

The museum was founded by Bertha Calloway. At the museum, it displays that her goal was to “tell her community the history not yet told in school.” Through grants and funding from the city, the museum was able to open in its first location in 1976. Calloway was involved in the DePorres Club, a civil rights group founded by high school and college students, as well as Father John Markoe of Creighton University. 

The museum is hoping to expand to a new location in the next four to five years.  

“The new building will be 21,000 square feet and two levels. That way we can really have a major impact on the community, so there can be different things that we can include in that building that due to our size now we are not able to accommodate,” Crystal Williams, an administrative assistant at the museum, discussed.