MILWAUKEE (WISN) — Antonia Anderson has turned her Milwaukee living room into a museum filled with thousands of artifacts that reflect Black music, history and culture.
“I started with 5 — maybe now 10, … yes, thousand,” Anderson said, describing the number of artifacts she has accumulated.
Anderson, curator of the Milwaukee Hip Hop Museum, has collected items from flea markets, eBay, donations and her own collection over the years.
Her collection includes 8-track tapes, cassettes, vinyl albums, posters and magazines like Write On and Word Up, offering snapshots in time and showcasing the Black influences who inspired them.
“I have blues, I have Bessie Smith, I have Nina Simone, and they really started with the different music — jazz, blues, all of that. That led to the civil rights and hip-hop,” Anderson said.
Reflecting on her upbringing, Anderson said, “When I grew up, African Americans weren’t celebrated or weren’t put in the media in a positive light. Even the movies were negative.” It’s why she wanted to create the Milwaukee Hip Hop Museum.
“Preserving African American history by any means necessary,” she said. “Just to put us in a positive light. … Just a space where people can come and feel comfortable learning, interacting with our music and just catching up on history.”
She believes celebrating that history can help write the melody for the future. “Whether through books, music, community events … keep going out and doing it because our youth need it. They need to know where they came from so they know where they’re going,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s collection can be visited by appointment only, and she hopes to move into a larger, more public space soon. She also operates a mobile museum, bringing artifacts and exhibits into schools and community centers.
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