By day, the man known as Khalid el-Hakim is a teacher at Detroit Lions Academy, but by night his second classroom takes him all over the country. El-Hakim runs the Black History 101 Mobile Museum, a traveling motorcade collection of African-American culture curated out of a 30-foot-long, 12-foot-wide trailer. The vociferous vehicle can accommodate about 15 people and draws its exhibits upon an archive of over 5,000 objects that include slave chains, a Ku Klux Klan hood, and a document signed by Malcolm X.
As we celebrate the first day of Black History Month, EBONY wishes to salute the efforts of Khalid el-Hakim and his 21 years of active service to students and the African American community. If you ever see this funky trailer adorned with a mural by Detroit graffit artist Semtex, make sure you "know the ledge," and check out the "3 M's" exhibit, which examines Martin Luther King Jr., Motown, and Michael Jackson.
What are some exhibitions you'd wish to see presented inside the mobile museum?
