Michelin North America and the International African American Museum Announce Inaugural Traveling Exhibition

Press Release

The International African American Museum and Michelin North America, Inc., announced today a partnership focused on freedom in the age of mobility. The museum’s mission is to honor untold stories of the African American journey at one of our country’s most sacred sites. 

“This partnership supports Michelin’s efforts to recognize the legacy of those whose movements have not been always free and to teach the value of being ‘free to move’ in all spheres of life,” said William McMillian, executive sponsor of the African American Network for Michelin North America. “We hope the exhibit will start conversations around a central question – If you are not free to move, are you fully free? – that builds bridges in our communities.”

Michelin’s second major gift to the Museum will fund the inaugural traveling exhibition and a full set of programming, complete with a curriculum designed for K–12 students. A group of Michelin employees will also have the opportunity to explore their genealogy through the museum’s Center for Family History. This program is dedicated to helping individuals and families advance their understanding of their family’s history and the role their ancestors played in shaping American history.

“From voyages such as the Underground Railroad, the Great Migration, and Afrofuturism, African American people and culture have been in near constant motion,” said Dr. Elijah Heyward III, chief operating officer of the International African American Museum. “Throughout these historical journeys, there has always been another kind of travel: a mental, emotional and spiritual voyage, in which African Americans have envisioned and pursued a time and place where the journey ends, and true freedom becomes a reality.”

The organizations have agreed not to disclose financial terms for the exhibit.

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