Bank of America pledges $600,000 to support the International African American Museum
February 28, 2018
Bank of America will contribute $600,000 to support the International African American Museum (IAAM).
“Bank of America’s leadership investment is catalytic at this crucial juncture as we approach our planned groundbreaking this summer,” said Joseph P. Riley, Jr., former Charleston mayor and museum board member.
Michael Boulware Moore, president and CEO of the International African American Museum, added that, “We are incredibly honored to have the support of Bank of America, an American institution that has served our country for more than two centuries. We are proud that it will join us in illuminating vital chapters of our nation’s past.”
The museum will be built on the land that was once home to Gadsden’s Wharf, one of the most significant sites of the African American experience. When the museum opens in 2020, visitors will celebrate African and African American history and culture and explore the ways that our differences make us collectively stronger.
Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., IAAM board member and former Charleston mayor, Michael Boulware Moore, IAAM president and CEO, Mark Munn, Market President for Bank of America in Charleston, and Wilbur Johnson, IAAM board chairman, with the architectural model of the museum
“Heritage isn’t just about history. It’s about people and their stories that shape who we are, tell where we’ve been and show where we’re going,” said Mark Munn, Charleston market president for Bank of America. “We’re stronger when we connect our diverse backgrounds and perspectives. It’s why we’re proud to support the International African American Museum and committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within our company and in the communities we serve.”
Bank of America’s giving will be recognized in one of the museum’s Center for Family History rooms. The Center for Family History, which is one of the most important and defining features of the IAAM, will leverage state-of-the-art technology to help people of African descent uncover their ancestries, countries of origin and even living relatives.
About Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 47 million consumer and small business relationships with approximately 4,500 retail financial centers, approximately 16,000 ATMs, and award-winning digital banking with approximately 35 million active users, including approximately 24 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
About the IAAM
Nearly half of all enslaved Africans forced to America through the Transatlantic Slave Trade arrived in Charleston, and the vast majority disembarked at Gadsden’s Wharf, the future home of the International African American Museum (IAAM) and one of the most significant and sacred sites of the African American experience in the Western hemisphere. The IAAM, a museum, memorial and site of conscience, will present unvarnished history and culture, commemorate and celebrate the foundational role that Africans and their descendants played in the making of America, and highlight their diasporic connections around the world. It will include immersive, interactive exhibits engaging to all ages and feature the Center for Family History, a leading genealogy archive that will help visitors identify their individual threads in the complex tapestry of history.
