California African American Museum

California African American Museum review

Bigger than it looks from the outside, this handsome museum and research library focuses on the artistic and historical achievements of African Americans. The small but tidy permanent exhibit loosely tells the story of African Americans' journey from Africa, through emancipation and into the 20th century, using an assortment of paintings, textiles, photographs, ceremonial objects, personal testimonies and other memorabilia.

Included among the exhibits are substantial displays on Ella Fitzgerald, former LA mayor Tom Bradley and William Spiller, the first African American admitted into the PGA. The museum's other galleries host engaging temporary exhibits, some historical and some artistic, supplemented by a programme of talks, screenings and even the occasional concert.