BASIS. ALL ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE. NEW ON YOUR WEDNESDAY MORNING, A LOT OF PEOPLE COLLECT THINGS LIKE COINS, SPORTS JERSEYS, MAYBE POKEMON CARDS, BUT IMAGINE HAVING A COLLECTION OF SOMETHING SO LARGE IT COULD FILL AN ENTIRE MUSEUM. WELL, THIS BLACK HISTORY MONTH WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTIVELY PRESERVING THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS ALL ACROSS THE PIEDMONT TRIAD. OUR ERIN BURNETT SPOKE WITH A TRIAD MAN WHO TRAVELS THE STATE, SHOWING OFF HIS MASSIVE COLLECTIONS OF BLACK MEMORABILIA. STACKS OF MAGAZINES FILL THIS ROOM, AND THERE’S A LOT MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM. SO WE HAVE A STORAGE SPACES AND HOW WE’VE GROWN THROUGH THE YEARS. HE’S ALWAYS LOVED HISTORY. THROUGH SCHOOL, I COULD REALLY MAKE GREAT GRADES IN HISTORY IF I HAD A DATE OR A PLACE OR THE TIME. BUT GROWING UP IN WILKES COUNTY DURING THE JIM CROW ERA, HIS TEXTBOOKS DIDN’T INCLUDE MANY PEOPLE THAT LOOKED LIKE HIM. WHEN I WAS A KID IN THE EARLY 60S, THERE WERE NO BLACK REPORTERS. THERE WAS NO BLACK ON COMMERCIALS. THERE WAS NO BLACKS IN THE SPORTS. WHEN I WAS WATCHING ACC SPORTS, BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, UNTIL CHARLIE SCOTT AND GIL MCGREGOR, THOSE PEOPLE CAME ALONG. BASICALLY, THE BASKETBALL DIDN’T EVEN HAVE BLACK PEOPLE ON IT. SO IT REALLY SHAPED MY LIFE A LOT. HE FED HIS CURIOSITY FOR HIS CULTURE BY PICKING UP AN EBONY MAGAZINE. IT WAS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO SEE DOCTORS, LAWYERS, SPORTS FIGURES IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND HISTORY. CASWELL STARTED FINDING MORE MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS AT FAMILY REUNIONS, MEMORABILIA SHOWS AND ONLINE. I HAD TO ADMIT, I DID BECOME AN EBAY ADDICT FOR A LITTLE WHILE. WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT. THE KIDS WOULD GO TO SCHOOL AND THE TEACHERS WOULD SAY, WELL, HEY, HOW DO Y’ALL KNOW SO MUCH HISTORY? AND SO THEY SAID, WELL, MY FATHER, HE TAUGHT US. AND SO THE TEACHERS ASKED ME TO COME. TEACHING INSPIRED HOW TO CREATE THE THANKFUL HERITAGE MUSEUM IN 1993. I FEEL THAT THIS IS THE REASON I WAS PUT HERE ON EARTH TO, YOU KNOW, PRESERVE AND TO TEACH THE HISTORY. FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, HE’S TRAVELED THE STATE, CURATING EXHIBITS OUT OF HIS OWN COLLECTIONS TO DISPLAY AT LOCAL MUSEUMS, SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES. YOU GOT TO REMEMBER WHOSE SHOULDERS YOU STAND ON AS YOU LOOK AT YOUR PARENTS AND YOUR GRANDPARENTS, AND LOOK AT THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORTED YOU. AGAIN, OUR THANKS TO ERIN BURNETT FOR THAT REPORT. 2026 MARKS A CENTURY OF REMEMBERING BLACK HISTORY. YOU CAN FIND MORE STORIES EXPLORING OUR LOCAL HISTORY, LANDMARKS AND LEADERS RIGHT N
Project CommUnity: Black memorabilia collection inspires museum
Many people collect things, like coins, sports jerseys and Pokémon cards.But one North Carolina man has a collection of African American memorabilia that is so large it could literally fill a museum.Effley Howell’s journey began with a single Ebony magazine.Howell says that throughout his life, he has always had a love for history.”Through school, I could really make great grades in history if I had a date or the place or the time,” he said.But growing up during the Jim Crow era, Howell said the people he learned about in his textbooks didn’t look like him.”When I was a kid, in the early 60s, there were no Black reporters, there was no Blacks on commercials, there was no Blacks in the sports, so it really shaped my life a lot,” he said.Howell said he fed his curiosity for learning about his heritage through Ebony magazines.”It was a wonderful place to see doctors, lawyers, sports figures in the African American community and history,” he said.Howell started collecting more magazines. Throughout his life, he expanded his collections. He started collecting items like rare African American dolls, magazines and other historic memorabilia at family reunions, memorabilia shows and online stores.”I did become an eBay addict for a little while when it first came out,” he said.He also started passing on his knowledge to his kids.”The kids would go to school, and the teachers would say, ‘Well, hey, how do y’all know so much history?’ And though they said, ‘Well, my father, he taught us.’ And so the teachers asked me to come,” he said.Teaching inspired Howell to create the Thankful Heritage Museum in 1993.But it’s not a regular museum; Howell’s museum is on wheels.For over 30 years, Howell has curated custom exhibits from his collections to display at local museums, schools, and churches, which he showcases across the state.”I feel that this is the reason I was put here on Earth to, you know, preserve and to teach the history,” Howell said.Now, Howell has stacks of magazines and boxes of collectibles filling several storage spaces across North Carolina from years of picking up items.With his extensive collection, Howell and his family are now looking for a permanent space to house this history, which the founder said would require at least 10,000 square feet.This is a new goal that Howell said he is dedicated to.”You’ve got to remember whose shoulders you stand on as you look at your parents and your grandparents and look at the people who supported you,” he said.To learn more about the Thankful Heritage Museum, click here.
Many people collect things, like coins, sports jerseys and Pokémon cards.
But one North Carolina man has a collection of African American memorabilia that is so large it could literally fill a museum.
Effley Howell’s journey began with a single Ebony magazine.
Howell says that throughout his life, he has always had a love for history.
“Through school, I could really make great grades in history if I had a date or the place or the time,” he said.
But growing up during the Jim Crow era, Howell said the people he learned about in his textbooks didn’t look like him.
“When I was a kid, in the early 60s, there were no Black reporters, there was no Blacks on commercials, there was no Blacks in the sports, so it really shaped my life a lot,” he said.
Howell said he fed his curiosity for learning about his heritage through Ebony magazines.
“It was a wonderful place to see doctors, lawyers, sports figures in the African American community and history,” he said.
Howell started collecting more magazines. Throughout his life, he expanded his collections. He started collecting items like rare African American dolls, magazines and other historic memorabilia at family reunions, memorabilia shows and online stores.
“I did become an eBay addict for a little while when it first came out,” he said.
He also started passing on his knowledge to his kids.
“The kids would go to school, and the teachers would say, ‘Well, hey, how do y’all know so much history?’ And though they said, ‘Well, my father, he taught us.’ And so the teachers asked me to come,” he said.
Teaching inspired Howell to create the Thankful Heritage Museum in 1993.
But it’s not a regular museum; Howell’s museum is on wheels.
For over 30 years, Howell has curated custom exhibits from his collections to display at local museums, schools, and churches, which he showcases across the state.
“I feel that this is the reason I was put here on Earth to, you know, preserve and to teach the history,” Howell said.
Now, Howell has stacks of magazines and boxes of collectibles filling several storage spaces across North Carolina from years of picking up items.
With his extensive collection, Howell and his family are now looking for a permanent space to house this history, which the founder said would require at least 10,000 square feet.
This is a new goal that Howell said he is dedicated to.
“You’ve got to remember whose shoulders you stand on as you look at your parents and your grandparents and look at the people who supported you,” he said.
To learn more about the Thankful Heritage Museum, click here.
