According to scholar Raymond Doswell, an African American museum is "an institution established for the preservation of African-derived culture.
African American museums share these goals with archives, genealogy groups, historical societies, and research libraries.
[2] Museums differ from archives, genealogy groups, historical societies, memorials, and research libraries because they have as a basic educational or aesthetic purpose the collection and display of objects, and regular exhibitions for the public.
These were located primarily at historically black colleges and universities or at libraries that had significant African American culture and history collections.
The previous record holder was the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan.