The story behind the hidden North City gem that houses Black history & art
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - For 27 years between Old North St. Louis and The Jeff-Vander-Lou Neighborhoods, The Griot Museum of Black History has housed history for African Americans.
“I think we’re the crucible,” said founder and Executive Director Lois Conley. “We’ve been here through the rough time, I think we’re part of the ecosystem here.”
Initially named the Black World History Wax Museum, Conley its the name just didn’t describe what the museum represents. Conley says the Griot Museum is the second of its kind in the country.
“It’s a major part of the lives and fabric of this community,” Conley said. “I came up with this space because there just was nothing happening in St. Louis that was acknowledging the rich history of Black Americans in this city. Griot is a term borrowed from West Africa used to describe a person charged with keeping, preserving and sharing history and culture. “
Conley says it’s typically done in artistic ways.
“You know, Black people have been creating art forever. We kind of create art wherever in the way we walk, in the way we talk,” said Conley.
The Griot Museum has several galleries, including one full of entertainers with St. Louis ties. Miles Davis was born in Alton, Illinois and loved music. Conley says he visited St. Louis all the time. The museum even has Davis’ bright Versace jacket his daughter donated to the museum.
Josephine Baker is also a St. Louis native. Conely says she was born in Mill Creek Valley and her art was dance. Baker used her impact and art to influence social issues. Conley says Baker would refuse to perform in places that did not welcome Black people in their venues.
“Historically we used art as a way to express our grief, our anger, our joy. It was a way to get something that perhaps we couldn’t say verbally or orally,” said Conley.
Some of the ugly side of American History is showcased in other galleries at the Griot Museum. Visitors can board a section of a replica ship used to transport Blacks during the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
There’s also a slave cabin from Jonesburg, Missouri, that was installed in the museum to give a glimpse into the lives of the enslaved. The cabin is one of 16 slave cabins that came off of the Wright-Smith Plantation.
Jonesburg is about an hour and a half west of downtown St. Louis. Moments in history housed inside illustrate discrimination and abuse but Conley says this raw reality produces art.
“I like to think of art more of what it does than what it is,” said Conley. “Our stories are not separate. Our stories are deeply intertwined.”
No matter what art form, Conely says it was a creative expression during times of oppression. She says art knows the direct route to everybody’s heart, no matter the color.
“So as I walk through this space daily, more than once, sometimes I touch things and get a little inspiration and if I’m nervous, I get a little courage,” said Conley.
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