Mississippi State Hosts “African American Treasures” From the Kinsey Collection

Bernard and Shirley Kinsey have one of the largest private collections of African American art, artifacts, and documents, spanning the seventeenth through twenty-first centuries. From March 21 to June 20, items from the collection will be on display at the Mitchell Memorial Library on the campus of Mississippi State University in Starkville. The exhibit, “African American Treasures from the Kinsey Collection” is free and will be open to the general public.

Among the items that will be on display are an early copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and a signed copy of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. The collection does not focus on the struggles faced by African Americans over their history but rather their achievements.