Formerly known as the Odell S. Williams Then & Now Museum of African American history, The Baton Rouge African American Museum curates historic artifacts locally and diasporically.
The museum is named after Odell S. Williams, an educator in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Founded in 2001 and curated for 18 years by the late Sadie Roberts-Joseph*, the museum remains the ONLY museum dedicated to African and African American history in the capital city. Sadie Roberts-Joseph, daughter of Mississippi sharecroppers, a graduate of Southern University, and lifelong community activist established the African American Museum after seeing the need and importance of an African American cultural anchor in our capital.
She often told visitors,
"Culture is the glue that holds a people together. Take a step back in time and leap into your future."
Immerse yourself in a museum experience like no other in Baton Rouge. Vibrant colors and displays paint the picture of the then and now of African American History.
Step aboard an authentic 1953 bus from the year of the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott and learn about the efforts led by this city. See the growth of three different types of cotton in the museum's garden.
Hear the stories of people of color from right here in Baton Rouge and Louisiana. The museum showcases faces of African American contributors in various fields, rural artifacts, African Art, and Black inventors whose innovations impact our day-to-day activities.
*After her untimely death, her son Jason and his sister Angela took over the management. The museum closed for a short time during COVID-19 but reopened in time for Juneteenth 2020. They are currently in the process of renovating the new location at 805 St. Louis St 70802 in order to move over the artifacts into a more permanent space, through the support of family funding and community donors. It receives no federal or local funding, at this time.