During the month of February, Seattle will be home to a brand new Black History Museum featuring 14 different exhibits highlighting the culture and achievements of the Black community in Seattle and beyond. Tony Benton of Rainier Avenue Radio has worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life, and is excited to share his creation with the community.

“We have enough history within this community that people have personal artifacts. I felt that we could do something that would be uplifting for the community,” Benton said. “In addition to the museum we're archiving information, we're interviewing elders, it’s just going to be something powerful.”

Benton has been doing events during Black History Month for years, but this is the first time he’s been able to put together a fully immersive experience in his own space.

“I have this facility, and this way I won't have any challenges or barriers that come up when you rent a facility,” Benton said. “I can do the type of event that I would like to do.”

The museum consists of different rooms and exhibits contributed and based around a different theme or organization. These include Benton’s collection of Black film posters, which tell the story of Black cinema over decades, as well rooms based around the Seattle Steelheads, the Tacoma Buffalo Soldiers, the Keith Williams photography collection and much more. The museum will also feature a gift shop at the end with unique items from each exhibitor.

For visitors, Benton is hoping to create an experience which lasts roughly 90 minutes. Visitors must sign up for a guided tour on the website, which Benton says will add context and give guests a richer understanding of the purpose of the museum.

“I'm doing guided tours is so that you get an explanation of what each installation and exhibit is rather than just looking at stuff,” Benton said. “I'm hoping that people have a much broader view of who we were and who we are in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.”

He knows, though, that the real benefit of a museum like this is the impact it can have on those who visit. He hopes that community stories and experience will shine through, and that blending current attitudes with history will create powerful moments.

“I'm not here to be the narrative,” Benton said. “I'm here to let people share their narrative. I just think it’s important for our community that we have access to the information of who we are and how we developed and who those individuals were, who those groups were, who those organizations are, and who they are today and where we're going today.”

You can find out more about the museum and sign up for a tour here