In celebration of Black History Month, the Utah Black History Museum visited the campus of Utah Valley University. The mobile museum travels all over Utah in a beautifully painted bus, boasting a mural of historically important figures in Black history. The bus was parked in the Fulton Library Quad for passing students to enjoy, while the museum itself was set up in the Multicultural Student Services room.
Throughout the museum were relics of Black history as well as stories explaining their significance. The relics capture the reality of the discriminatory practices that are a part of this country’s history. They serve the purpose of helping attendees contend with the physical evidence of Black people’s traumatic past.
The physical representation that the museum presents to attendees allows them not only to fully envision the past but to realize its continual effects in the present. One such issue that the museum brings into awareness, and that is specifically relevant to Utah, is the use of the word “Dixie” and other problematic terms. “Dixie State University” went through a recent name change in 2022 to Utah Tech University and a rigorous rebranding responding to this issue and becoming more inclusive to all people.
The museum serves the important purpose of spreading awareness of the issues Black people have faced and continue to face in Utah and this country by giving a voice to those whose voices have often been overlooked and ignored. To learn more about the Utah Black History Museum visit their website at ubhm.org.
