HIGH POINT, N.C. — They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
“Dr. King, Malcolm X, Shirley Chisolm," Wilkesboro native and President and CEO of Thankful Heritage Museum, Effley Howell said.
For Howell, a picture is a trip down memory lane.
“They’ll see everything from Destiny’s Child from when Beyoncé was there to the Jackson 5 when they were the Jackson 5 all the way up until when Michael left."
Howell has been collecting Ebony and Jet magazines since he was a child.
Today, he has close to 5,000 issues, starting as early as the 1940s.
Howell says at one point in time, these magazines were the first major media outlets that put Black people on the cover and gave a glimpse into the injustices people of color were faced with.
“Blacks could not go into the restaurants and sit down, and blacks could not sit in the front of the buses, so these magazines represent people who were great.”
The magazines are a part of Thankful Heritage Museum’s showcase which is a mobile Black history museum created by Howell.
“It’s like a trip down memory lane for the seniors but an opportunity for the youth to see many of the things their parents and grandparents and teachers have taught them about.”
This year’s showcase is at the High Point Museum.
The on-the go history museum is currently looking for a permanent home.
A thousand or more words are written in the magazines as well as images shown that carry weight and history.
Howell says is important for the future.
“All the great historians you know quote that if you do not know your history then you are designed to repeat it," Howell said.
The free exhibit will be at the High Point Museum until March 2 and will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, click or tap HERE.