A Heritage Center for Black History in Brooklyn Struggles to Remain Open | Hyperallergic

[dropcap]The[/dropcap] Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, a museum dedicated to one of the first communities of free African Americans in the US, is in imminent danger of closure. If a new crowdfunding campaign does not yield $200,000 before July, the center says it will be forced to shut its doors due to lack of resources. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″]

Rising operation and maintenance costs of the center’s structures are the main reasons for the financial crises, the Weeksville’s director Rob Fields told Hyperallergic in a phone conversation. “This crowdfunding campaign is focused on giving us some additional time through the first quarter of our fiscal year, starting July 1st, to really do the serious planning needed to figure out the path towards sustainability,” he said.

The crowdfunding campaign has reached more than half of its goal (almost $130,000) since it was launched about a week ago. The center is hoping to raise the full amount to be able to meet basic obligations like staff wages and operational expenses, and use this gasp of air to strategize a new fiscal plan come September.