Preserving African American Heritage

Sometimes, the best ideas don’t come from your dreams, brainstorming or prior life experiences. Sometimes, they come from the mind of a 7-year-old. In early 2023, NBRPA Director Bob Elliott and his wife, Beverely, unveiled the African American Museum of Southern Arizona. However, they don’t take full credit for creating the idea.

For Bob and Beverely, the idea of establishing a museum that was solely dedicated to local African Americans came from their grandson, Jody.

In February 2021, Jody was in first grade and got a school assignment to write a report on an African-American hero of his choice in recognition of Black History Month. Jody asked his grandmother what local museum he could go to to research stories about African-American heroes.

“I had to tell him there’s not one in Tucson,” Beverely told Legends Magazine in a phone interview. “I checked with some friends, and it turns out there was not one in the state of Arizona.”

In early 2023, the doors of the African American Museum of Southern Arizona swung open to the public for the first time, marking a huge moment not only for the city's history, but for the state of Arizona as well.

“They told us about 70-to-80 people would show up to the grand opening – 362 people lined up to come to the museum,” Elliot said. “Almost everyone made a small donation as they were leaving the museum.”

Former and current NBA players are finding ways to contribute to the museum as well. Hall-of-Famer Julius Erving will be holding a fireside conversation at the museum soon. In February, current NBA star Harrison Barnes and his wife, Brittany, made a donation to the museum.

“It’s nice to see current players and former players embrace this project and this mission,” Bob said. “The league, the Players Association, the Retired Players Association – having everyone come together is always a good feeling.”