MKE Turners Turn $4,000 into a $16,000 Gift to Support ABHM

NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FEB. 20, 2019

Contact: Nicholas La Joie

Milwaukee Turners, Inc.

nicholas@milwaukeeturners.org

Phone:   414- 272-1733

Milwaukee, WI —A special appeal from Milwaukee Turner leadership to its members and supporters in support of America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) raised $4,000, which was then matched by the Turners, for a total gift of $8,000. Thanks to a personal $100,000 challenge grant by Milwaukee philanthropist and County Executive, Chris Abele, this $8,000 gift was matched, resulting in a $16,000 gift to the museum.

L-R: Cydney Hargro, ABHM; Nancy Ketchman, ABHM; Art Heitzer, President of Milwaukee Turners; Patricia Obletz, Turner member; Virgil Cameron, son of Dr. Cameron and ABHM board member; Nicholas La Joie, Executive Director, Milwaukee Turners; and Reuben Harpole, ABHM board member.

The Milwaukee Turners, founded by abolitionists in the 1850s, is the oldest civic organization in Milwaukee and has been deeply committed to social justice since its founding.

Art Heitzer, president of Milwaukee Turners, said: “We are happy that our modest efforts succeeded in raising over $8,000 to the museum, which is being matched by the Chris Abele challenge grant. With other contributions that we’ve identified, this should result in some $20,000 in needed support for ABHM, so that the Milwaukee area can soon celebrate the re-opening of a first class brick and mortar museum to tell a critical part of American history. We strongly urge others to be generous in their contributions, including pledges, so that they can be matched up through Dr. Cameron’s birthday on February 25th.”  

Abele’s challenge grant matches dollar-for-dollar all donations and pledges to the museum up to $100,000 that are made by February 25^th, 2019. This challenge is a catalyst to support the reopening of the museum at 401 W. North Avenue in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville Cultural and Entertainment District. The challenge’s end date of February 25^th is a special day: it is the birthday of museum founder Dr. James Cameron, who passed away in 2006 at age 92. A donation or pledge makes a wonderful birthday gift in honor of Dr. Cameron.

Written pledges submitted by February 25, 2019 can be paid through the end of calendar year 2021 (up to a 3-year pledge). Donations support the museum’s operations, educational programming, and infrastructure. The new museum, which is reopening soon, is a program of the Dr. James Cameron Legacy Foundation (DJCLF).

ABHM’s new building on its original site. Exhibits have begun to be installed. The museum now plans to open in Spring 2019.

Dr. James Cameron founded ABHM in 1988.  He survived a brutal 1930 lynching in Marion, IN when he was just 16 years old.  Dr. Cameron went on to devote his life to civil rights and promoting a just and peaceful society.  He founded ABHM to teach others about the forgotten history and harmful legacy of slavery, as well as promote racial repair, reconciliation, and healing.

Until 2008, ABHM was a beloved cultural institution that welcomed thousands of visitors from around the world, with an emphasis on young people from local schools and universities.  The original museum closed two years after Dr. Cameron’s passing in 2006. The new museum is built upon the same footprint as its predecessor on the corner of Vel R. Phillips Ave. (formerly 4^th St.) and North Ave.

To have your financial gift matched by Abele’s challenge grant, please submit all donations or pledge commitments by February 25, 2019.  You can donate on-line at ABHM 2018 Campaign [https://www.abhmuseum.org/support/] or mail your pledge commitment or check payable to the Dr. James Cameron Legacy Foundation at 11933 W. Burleigh St., Suite 100, Wauwatosa, WI 53222. Download a pledge/donation form here [https://tinyurl.com/MyPledge2ABHM]. For other ways to give, including underwriting opportunities, please contact us at 414-374-5353 or email development@abhmuseum.org.

ABOUT THE DR. JAMES CAMERON LEGACY FOUNDATION, INC.

The nonprofit Dr. James Cameron Legacy Foundation (DJCLF) was founded in 2012 by friends and supporters of Dr. James Cameron to continue his legacy. Its mission is to build public awareness of the harmful legacies of slavery in America and promote racial repair, reconciliation, and healing. We envision a society that remembers its past in order to shape a better future – a nation undivided by race where every person matters equally. The new physical museum will complement DJCLF’s virtual museum (www.abhmuseum.org), which was created in 2012 to share Dr. Cameron’s story and museum exhibits to a broader national and international audience. Over 5 million visitors from over 200 countries visit ABHM’s Virtual Museum annually. For more information and to donate, visit https://www.abhmuseum.org/support/

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