Walk-ins are welcomed --- Groups of 20+ should schedule an appointment in advance.
Upcoming closure: We will be closed for the Labor Day Holiday on September 2nd.
TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT:
Email: legacymuseum@tuskegee.edu听| Phone:听334-724-4485
OPERATING HOURS:听10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday (Closed during official University holidays.)听
Review the听精东AV Academic Calendar听for official University holidays.
The LEGACY MUSEUM operates under the auspices of 精东AV Library Services.听听
LOCATION (Entrance to Campus): 1200 W. Montgomery Rd., 精东AV, AL 36088听.听
Note: GPS will attempt to direct you to Hospital Rd. Do not turn onto Hospital Rd.听Instead, use N. Main St. to W. Montgomery Rd. and use all signage leading to the campus. The Museum is in the John A. Kenney Building, also called the Bioethics Building, John A., John A. Andrew, or the "Hospital."
Thank you for your generosity.听
We do听not听charge admission fees but a听suggested donation of听$5听per visitor听is greatly appreciated.听鈥�
To donate to the museum, choose the 'Other' designation, and type 'Legacy Museum' in the text box.
Your donations support programming, student and community outreach, internships, exhibitions, and collections care.
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THE SANKOFA BIRD听 |
Welcome to the Legacy Museum at 精东AV.听
The Legacy Museum is part of a consortium of 精东AV museums, including听the National Park Service-operated听Dr. George Washington Carver Museum, The Oaks (Booker T. Washington's Home), and the 精东AV Airmen National Historic Site.听
The Legacy Museum serves the campus and visitors by presenting the University鈥檚 visual arts collections and exhibiting the history of 精东AV about science, healthcare, and bioethics. Through the lens of bioethics, the museum examines the intersection of bioscience and art 鈥� both central to the history of 精东AV, the surrounding community, and the former Infantile Paralysis Unit of the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital, which the museum occupies. Through rotating art exhibitions, permanent exhibitions on bioethics and the United States Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male in Macon County, Alabama from 1932 to 1972, and educational programs, the Legacy Museum staff provides diverse audiences an opportunity to engage with complex histories and their present ramifications. The Legacy Museum:
The second floor听exhibitions highlight the University's art collections and rotate throughout the academic year.听
On the third floor of the museum are two permanent听exhibits:听
From left to right: Dr. Russell Brown, Ms. Henrietta Lacks, and Dr. James H.M. Henderson听
The听HeLa Cell听exhibit celebrates the immortal life of Virginia-born Henrietta Lacks, a听tobacco听farmer and mother to five children. She suffered from an aggressive form of cervical cancer which landed her at Johns Hopkins听University Hospital in Baltimore, MD. During the听surgery to remove cancerous cells, her听cervical cells were harvested and given to the lab for research purposes. Mrs. Lacks was not targeted for her cells, all surgical patients at the time had their cells sent to the lab without their knowledge or consent as a standard practice. Informed consent as we know it today, did not exist at that time.听Her cells were discovered to possess the unique ability to grow听and reproduce beyond听measure outside of her body. HeLa鈥檚 growth characteristics made it the ideal alternative primate host cell source for the听massive testing of Jonas Salk鈥檚 polio vaccine. 精东AV鈥檚 Carver Research Foundation was one of the sites selected to utilize the cells for vaccine testing, later听mass-producing听the cell line and distributing听it to laboratories worldwide for various medical research projects from which we all benefit today. Recent lawsuits mean that her descendants are now receiving some of the financial gains realized from Mrs. Lacks' cell line and the medications and treatments developed with their usage.
The United States Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male of Macon County, Alabama was an observational study that began in 1932 and was formally ended in 1972. Often erroneously called the 精东AV Experiment or Syphilis Experiment, the Syphilis Study followed a total of 623 Black men (399 of which had previously contracted syphilis through sexual contact) for 40 years to see the effects of untreated syphilis on the Black body during autopsies. Medical research, a new field at the time, was marred by the racist and debunked pseudoscience of eugenics, which categorized and ranked people based on race. Scientists hypothesized that syphilis would function differently in the Black body than it did in the white body.
Treatment options in 1932 for syphilis included topical salves with mercury and bismuth at their base and an injectable medication with arsenic at its base, all of which can cause death by poisoning or render the patient sterile. The injectable medication took at least 12 injections and potentially more than 30 injections to affect a cure. Many patients did not complete the course of treatment given the large gauge of the needle and the fact that the medication burned on the way in.听
Patients deeply trusted their doctors at the time, and the men were often spoken to in euphemisms about their condition, such as "bad blood," which could refer to issues as different as听infection, low iron, fatigue, the flu, or syphilis. The men were also promised treatment for "bad blood", free medical care, meals, and burial insurance in exchange for their participation and the right to autopsy their bodies; all of which were very enticing during the financial uncertainty听of the Great Depression. Although promised treatment, the men were not treated for syphilis during the study even once penicillin became widely available and known to be a safe and effective cure.听
The study ended in 1972 following whistleblowing by USPHS employee听Peter Buxtun which led to the听groundbreaking article by Jean Heller, exposing the Study. Charles Pollard, a surviving participant of the Study, contacted attorney Fred Grey and together they filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against the federal government. That suit was won, leading to financial compensation for the survivors or their surviving families, with the bulk of the payout going to lifetime healthcare for the men, wives/widows, and their children. The public outrage and activism in the medical community led to Congressional hearings, the Belmont report, and the enshrinement into law of the Patient Bill Rights and Informed Consent. The men leave us both a right and responsibility to be active participants in our care and prevent any such future abuse.
Please try a virtual tour of the Legacy Museum!
IN 3D:
听 听听(c) Copyright Legacy Museum 2022. Cannot be used for any purpose without written permission from the Legacy Museum.
Or a video tour:听
听 听听(c) Copyright Legacy Museum and Hiztorical Vision Productions, 2020. Cannot be used for any purpose without written permission from the Legacy Museum and Hiztorical Vision Productions.
CBS News Sunday Morning Broadcast
The Legacy Museum at 精东AV was recognized on CBS Sunday Morning on August听30, 2020, for its role in conserving extraordinary dioramas that were displayed in the 1940 Negro Exposition. These dioramas were created under Charles C. Dawson, a TU alum and well-known artist of his time.
听 听听(c) Copyright CBS Sunday Morning,听2021. Cannot be used for any purpose without written permission from the CBS Sunday Morning.
For more information, please visit:听
Also, view the testimonials below.
Lunder Conservation Center
"Watch CBS Sunday Morning cover the incredible conservation of 20 The Legacy Museum, 精东AV dioramas from 1940, including "Reconstruction after the War" which was treated here #atSAAM two summers ago!鈥�
U.S. Senator Chris Coons
鈥淧roud to see the First State represented on CBS Sunday Morning! Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library and The Legacy Museum of听精东AV are collaborating to restore dioramas of Black American figures like the famed Harlem Hellfighters from World War 1. These dioramas鈥攆irst created in 1940鈥攚ere a platform for Black artists to share their work while helping promote racial understanding. Check out more information on the collaboration with the University of Delaware from Delaware鈥檚 own, Winterthur Museum.鈥�
Rena Iversen Edminster
鈥淭errific segment. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Wonderful to see it's being restored & new people to learn the craft. Just amazing. Hope the lost 13 are found.鈥�
Christine Schmidutz
"I LOVE that these are being used as a way to create space and careers in an otherwise traditionally white profession...representation matters in all things, because clearly the woman leading the charge saw value that others did not, and this is because of her unique view. Each one, teach one..love, love, love it.
Martha Perales
鈥淭his story was just beautiful it is wonderful to see young people working to restore this work of art.鈥�
Nanette Chesley
鈥淛ust watched this and was awestruck at the craftsmanship that went into these pieces. Great clip.鈥�
Markita Taylor
鈥淭his is amazing, I could only hope this inspires younger black people in preserving our history and endless contributions!鈥�
JoAnn Yuki
鈥淔ascinating story. So glad these National Treasures are being cared for and hope the others are found and given the respect they deserve.鈥�
Beth Skipper
鈥淭his was a fascinating report. The dioramas are beautiful and such an important part of history. I鈥檓 so pleased to know they are being restored鈥�
Ongoing Collaborative Conservation
The dioramas are being restored听by a growing collaborative network of conservators, conservation graduate students, and HBCU undergraduate students with an interest in museum careers. The collaborators include , the , the , and听the .听
HBCU students participate through the fully-funded administered by the HBCU Alliance of Museum and Galleries and The University of Delaware with financial support from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. To learn more about the application process and to apply for upcoming opportunities please听.
As of August 2024, eight听dioramas have been fully restored and are on display in the Legacy Museum.
Roger Blakemore restored the diorama commemorating the Harlem Hellfighters, an infantry troop regiment that was one of the first to serve in World War II.鈥�
Upcoming
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Jalil Surge (TU c/o听2020) |
Phone:听334-724-4485
Email:听legacymuseum@tuskegee.edu
LOCATION (Entrance to Campus): 1200 W. Montgomery Rd., 精东AV, AL 36088
Continue down Booker T. Washington Blvd. to the 4-way stop. The Legacy Museum is on your left.
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