At the start of February, The Dr. Carter G Woodson Museum secured $700,000 in funds, completing a $1 million “Deuces Rising” initiative, from the City of St. Petersburg for its new 29,000 square foot facility. The new Dr. Carter G Woodson Museum will take over a 5.5 acre parcel along 22nd Street South just across the street from the Historic Manhattan Casino.

The concept, designed by Wannemacher Jensen Architects, will feature new galleries, a sculpture garden, events space, and a justice center. Its new unique design will have the museum itself be an event driven venue.

In total, the major upgrade from its current 4,000-square-foot space will cost about $20 million. The money will come from grants, donations, and fundraisers.

This is a call for donations to help elevate this exquisite and essential institution in the Sunshine City.

Support the Woodson Museum today

“We Belong Here. We have been moved and replanted and still we grew and thrived,” said Terri Lipsey Scott, Executive Director of the Dr. Carter G Woodson Museum. “Being uprooted and planted, we never stopped growing. We hope to do the same thing at our new location – stake a claim along that strip where we were replanted.”

The Dr. Carter G Woodson African American Museum needs the support of the St. Pete community now more than ever.

“As the light is being shined brightly on injustice and inequity – let’s not loose sight of our need to elevate the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum,” wrote Terri Lipsey Scott in a Facebook post. Scott is the Executive Director of the Museum.

“Join us in making a real statement. Build a proper African American Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida and prove to our community and beyond BLACK LIVES MATTER.”

Support the Woodson Museum Mission 

This is a call for donations to help elevate this exquisite and essential institution in the Sunshine City.

If you’ve ever sat in the garden at the Woodson Museum then you know it is a resplendent institution for reflection, education, and growth.

The mission of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum is two-fold:

1. To preserve, present, and interpret African American history and to engage a broad and diverse audience through these activities.
2. To promote an understanding among various groups that comprise the St. Petersburg community to enhance our ability as a society to respect, value diversity, and foster equal rights and social justice.

Named for the Father of Black History Month

The museum itself is named after Dr. Carter G Woodson, the Father of Black History Month. Here’s a history lesson on Woodson courtesy of the Museum’s website:

In 1915, he and friends established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. A year later, the Journal of Negro History, began quarterly publication. In 1926, Woodson proposed and launched the annual February observance of “Negro History Week,” which became “Black History Month” in 1976. It is said that he chose February for the observance because February 12th was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and February 14th was the accepted birthday of Frederick Douglass.

Dr. Woodson was the founder of Associated Publishers, the founder and editor of the Negro History Bulletin, and the author of more than 30 books. His best known publication is The Mis-Education of the Negro, originally published in 1933 and still pertinent today.

Part of a South St. Pete Renaissance 

The Dr. Carter G Woodson African American Museum is part of a larger renaissance in the Deuces Live District. You can donate to the museum today by seeing Terri Lipsey Scott’s Facebook post, or directly on the Museum’s website.

Follow the Dr. Carter G African American Museum on Facebook and Instagram for updates on operations, new exhibits, and initiatives.

The museum is currently located at 2240 9th Avenue South. CLICK HERE to make a donation — and to learn about upcoming events. 

Join the Dr. Carter G Woodson Museum on Sunday, March 14 for the Woodson Warrior Scholarship Auction.