America's Black Holocaust Museum

What America's Black Holocaust Museum does

America's Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) is a Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1988 by Dr. James Cameron, the only known survivor of a U.S. lynching. The organization's mission is to build public awareness of the legacies of slavery and Jim Crow in America and to promote racial repair, reconciliation, and healing. It serves a broad audience that includes general public visitors, K-12 and university school groups, community organizations, and donors, with operations spanning both a physical museum in Milwaukee's historic Bronzeville neighborhood and a globally accessible online presence.

ABHM's core products are (1) its 3,500+ page virtual museum website, organized into seven chronological galleries from pre-captivity African life through the present day, and (2) its on-site physical museum with galleries covering more than 400 years of African American history. Notable specialized offerings include the Memorial to Victims of Lynching (a database of approximately 2,000 documented victims launched February 2012), the Freedom Lovers Roll Call Wall interactive pledge feature, special exhibits such as Portraiture of Resistance and Risking Everything: The Fight for Black Voting Rights, a monthly book club, docent-led guided tours, and Dr. Cameron's IPPY Award-recognized memoir "A Time of Terror." The underlying technology stack is conventional and digital-first, relying on a WordPress-based website, Mailchimp for newsletter distribution, Bloomerang for donations, Eventbrite for ticketing, and Zoom for virtual programming; there is no proprietary technology or AI component identified.

The business model is that of a mission-driven cultural non-profit, with revenue diversified across five streams: tiered annual memberships ($30 Individual, $50 Partner, $70 Family), tour fees ($10 per person, $7 on Wednesdays through May 2026), space rental of the Community Room, ticketed author and cultural events, and tax-deductible donations. ABHM is privately held with no parent company, no venture funding, and no public financial disclosures; the institution reports operating with 11-50 employees and serves both a regional Southeast Wisconsin audience and a worldwide virtual audience.

Name

America's Black Holocaust Museum

Legal name

America's Black Holocaust Museum

Website

https://abhmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

America's Black Holocaust Museum is a Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) non-profit operating a physical museum and a 3,500+ page virtual museum that educate the public about African American history, the Black Holocaust, and racial reconciliation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural and Historical Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Historical museum
• African American history
• Memorial museum
• Cultural education
• Racial reconciliation

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership program with three tiers providing free admission, merchandise discounts, e-newsletter access, and priority event registration. Individual ($30), Partner ($50), and Family ($70) memberships.
2. Admission Fees: Revenue from museum admission. Guided docent tours priced at $10/person (groups of 10+). Discounted tours available Wednesdays at $7/person through May 2026.
3. Space Rental: Community Room rental including AV equipment and kitchen for community groups and organizations. Contact via [email protected] for arrangements.
4. Event Revenue: Ticketed events such as author appearances (e.g., Imani Perry event at $10 per ticket, $5 for members). Book sales through partner Boswell Book Company.
5. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible contributions supporting educational programming and Dr. James Cameron's legacy. All gifts to ABHM are tax-deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

America's Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) operates a physical museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a 3,500+ page virtual online museum dedicated to interpreting African American history and the Black Holocaust in America. The museum offers historical galleries covering seven periods from pre-captivity to present, special exhibits, the Memorial to Victims of Lynching, guided docent tours, educational programming, community events, a book club, author talks, and a membership program. Founded by lynching survivor Dr. James Cameron in 1988, ABHM advances racial repair, reconciliation, and healing through education and commemoration.

Product overview

America's Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) operates a dual offering: a 3,500+ page virtual museum website (core product) and an on-site physical museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The virtual museum includes History Galleries covering seven historical periods (African Peoples Before Captivity through NOW: Free At Last), Special Exhibits such as the Memorial to Victims of Lynching (containing ~2,000 victim profiles), Portraiture of Resistance, Stories Behind the Postcards, and Risking Everything: The Fight for Black Voting Rights. Additional offerings include the Freedom Lovers Roll Call Wall interactive pledge wall, Breaking News blog, ABHM Book Club (monthly virtual/in-person discussions), guided and self-guided tours, space rental, membership program, and Dr. James Cameron's memoir 'A Time of Terror.' The museum also hosts events including book discussions, ticketed author talks, family history days, and emergency preparedness workshops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Virtual Museum Website A 3,500+ page online virtual museum offering digital exhibits, history galleries, breaking news, and educational content about the Black Holocaust in America, accessible globally to general public visitors, students, and lifelong learners.
• On-Site Physical Museum Physical museum located at 401 W. North Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with galleries encompassing over 400 years of African American history. Open Tuesday-Saturday with guided and self-guided tour options for general public visitors.
• Memorial to Victims of Lynching Digital memorial containing nearly 2,000 names of lynching victims with life stories, search by state functionality, and family story contributions.
• Museum Membership Program Annual membership program with three tiers (Individual $30, Partner $50, Family $70) providing free admission, merchandise discounts, e-newsletter access, and priority event registration for individual supporters and families.
• Guided Docent Tours Docent-led guided tours of the physical museum at $10/person for groups of 10+, with discounted tours at $7/person on Wednesdays through May 2026, offered to schools and community groups.
• Community Room Space Rental Rental of the museum's Community Room including A/V equipment and kitchen for community groups, organizations, and event hosts.
• ABHM Book Club Monthly book club featuring discussions of books on African American history and culture, hosted virtually via Zoom and in-person at the museum for members and the general public.
• Portraiture of Resistance Exhibit Special exhibit featuring artistic portraits of prominent resistance leaders with poetry, documenting history from Ruby Bridges to Dr. King and Maya Angelou.
• Stories Behind the Postcards Exhibit Oil paintings and collages by Chicago artist Jennifer Scott responding to lynching souvenir postcards, illuminating the suffering of victims' families.
• Risking Everything: The Fight for Black Voting Rights Gallery Gallery documenting the history of Black voting rights struggle, Freedom Summer of 1964, and ongoing fight for voting rights.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600,000 annual reach through Essence Festival partnerships and cultural events
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Association of African American Museums (AAAM)coreOthersABHM is a member of AAAM, the professional organization supporting African American museums and cultural institutions.
• Boswell Book CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for book sales during author events. Co-presented ticketed events such as Imani Perry appearance at ABHM.
• Niche Book BarminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-presented ticketed author events with Boswell Book Company and ABHM for book releases and cultural programming.
• Essence Festival of CultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerABHM promotes the Essence Music Festival which draws over 600,000 attendees annually as part of cultural event programming and Black culture awareness.
• Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerABHM references EJI's lynching memorial and video content about terror lynchings, sharing similar mission of documenting and commemorating victims of racial violence.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD): San Francisco museum focused on the African diaspora experience, including history, culture, and contemporary issues. Comparable as a non-profit cultural institution with curated exhibits, events, and educational programming.
• DuSable Museum of African American History: Chicago-based African American history museum, founded 1961. Comparable as a long-running non-profit cultural institution in the Midwest with similar exhibit, tour, and membership revenue mix.
• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute: Birmingham, AL interpretive museum and research center chronicling the Civil Rights Movement. Comparable as a history/heritage museum with educational programming and school-group tour revenue.
• National Civil Rights Museum: Memphis-based museum at the Lorraine Motel site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, covering the Civil Rights Movement. Highly comparable as a heritage/history museum with educational programming, docent tours, and a memorial function.
• Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture: Baltimore-based African American history museum with permanent and rotating exhibits. Comparable as a regional non-profit history museum with similar exhibit and tour programming.
• Equal Justice Initiative - Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice: EJI operates the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, AL, focused on slavery, lynching, and racial injustice. EJI is already a documented partner of ABHM and shares an explicit mission on documenting and commemorating victims of racial violence.
• Whitney Plantation: Wallace, Louisiana plantation site turned museum focused on the history of slavery. Comparable as a memorial/heritage site that documents slavery and the lives of enslaved people, with educational tours as a primary revenue driver.
• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: Detroit-based African American history museum with extensive permanent exhibits and educational programming. Comparable non-profit structure, similar subject focus, and overlapping educational tour and membership business model.

Broad incumbents

• National Museum of African American Music: Nashville-based museum focused on African American musical traditions and their broader cultural impact. Comparable as a non-profit cultural institution with curated exhibits, events, and educational programming for school and general audiences.
• National Museum of African American History and Culture: Smithsonian-operated national museum dedicated to African American history, culture, and community. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping subject matter, though with vastly greater scale, federal funding, and a Washington DC location drawing national/international visitation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ABHMuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/ABHMuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abhmuseum-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about America's Black Holocaust Museum