DENVER — After stops in Houston and Washington, D.C., the Museum for Black Girls is back in Denver.
"I like to say it’s a vibrant interactive space celebrating the journeys, stories and histories of Black women 21-48 and also highlighting Black artists," Charlie Billingsley said.
She founded the museum four years ago at her friend's boutique. It was supposed to be a one-night thing, but Billingsley quickly realized how badly a space like this was needed.
"You can walk into any gallery right now and there’s not very much representation of Black women, and the world deserves to be educated on how much we’ve impacted this world and what we have achieved," she said. "Black women deserve to be celebrated and given their flowers, because we don’t get that often."
After that night in her friend's place, Billingsley pulled her friends and family together for support.
"They really rallied around me and lifted me up to bring this to life," she said.
Billingsley's aunt, Von Ross, is the museum's co-creator. She said it's a spot where young Black girls can come and be seen.
"We wanted to create an opportunity where we show and support our community and we show all the great things we’ve done," she said.
It's not your typical museum. Much of the space is interactive; singing and dancing is encouraged.
"The Museum for Black Girls is like a selfie museum and a regular traditional museum had a baby and it was us," Ross said.
Photos from the soft opening of the Museum for Black Girls
"Those moments where you can take photos and laugh and have a good time with your friends, you’ll find here. But then you’ll have moments where you learn about history and the great things and the achievements of Black women and our contributions to these great United States that we live in and the world."
Billingsley and Ross worked with the Denver Downtown Partnership's Popup Denver program to get the new space up and running. They'll be open to the public starting the first week of October.
"We want people to leave here feeling encouraged," Ross said. "We want them to feel motivated and inspired and just uplifted when they leave the space."
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