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It is the nation’s only children’s museum that caters to a multi-cultural 3-9 year old student population offering visual hands-on and interactive lessons in proper eating, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) while teaching visitors about famous African American Chicago history makers.

“Building Children’s Minds” is the motto of the $2.5 million Bronzeviille children’s Museum, located at 9301 South Stony Island on Chicago’s far South Side. It was founded in 1993 by women’s rights activists and former Chicago Public School teacher Peggy A. Montes, president, who is celebrating her 15.5 year anniversary.

In an interview at the museum, Montes said, “We are still the first and only African American children’s museum in the country out of over 300 children’s museum’s nationwide.”

Located on Stony Island for the past 6-years, her museum was housed in the Evergreen Plaza shopping mall for a decade and was known as the “Museum in the Mall.”

As a former teacher for more than 20-years, Montes wanted her museum to be special and like no other in America, and she has turned that dream into a reality.

Besides having talking,i nteractive mini-exercise equipment, there are several rooms in the museum—the Multi-Purpose Room where Montes offers several programs beginning with “Mountain Quest” which celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday followed by February’s “Black History Month.”

In March, Montes celebrates “Women History Month” where she highlights Chicago African American women. She’s placed a mirror adjacent to a pictorial wall of Chicago heroes where the children can look and see how one day they will be the first to represent African Americans.

In June, Montes celebrates “Juneteenth,” which is the celebration of the oldest freedom celebration in the country. In August she has a summer program and in October Montes has her “not-so-scary” Halloween festival ending the year with a Kwanzaa program.

Wanting to be different, Montes has a “Stem Rocks” room which stands for Science, Technology,Engineering and Mathematics. “We are exposing our children, from 3-9, to STEMS and what jobs that will be available to them,” she said.

In her Pyramid Room, Montes shows visitors an animated film about ‘My Plate’ which includes a five food groups, fruits, greens, vegetables, protein, berries and ‘Choose My Plate.gov in an effort to teach youth that “You Are What You Eat.”

It also includes pictures of African Americans from Chicago like Mayor Harold Washington, lHarold Pierce who in 1950 began the Harold Chicken stores, Argia Collins, Sr., who in 1958 made Mumbo barbecue sauce and Kit Baldwin, in 1921, who opened an ice cream shop in Chicago. Today, Eric G. Johnson now heads Baldwin Richardson’s Food Co. There is also a picture of the “Sole Man” who represents a sculpture of a man holding a suitcase made entirely of shoe soles. Made by Allison Saar, it is called the “Monument to the Great Northern Migration” and represents the hard journey blacks made from the south. There is also a room sponsored by Jewel-Osco where the children can pretend to shop for groceries and another room where they can just party.

Going from the classroom to being the owner of an historic black museum was a dream come true for Montes. “For many years, I was very busy with DuSable Museum as the first female chairman of the Board of Trustees” where she worked closely with the late Dr. Margaret Burrough founder of that museum where she worked from 1989 to 1992.

While there, Montes was also chairman of the Building Committee where she spearheaded the building of the Harold Washington wing of the DuSable Museum.

It was there where Montes discovered the world of children’s museums and developed a love for exposing young children to both culture and history under one roof. That is when she began plans to build the Bronzeville Children’s Museum.

An activist, Montes reached out to the corporate community where she received funding from Jewel-Osco, the Driehaus Foundation, ComEd, Chicago Community Trust, the Joyce Foundation, from the Field Foundation of Illinois and more than $500,000 from the City of Chicago. “We’ve been very fortunate,”she said also thanking former Senator Emil Jones, Senator Donne Trotter, other members of the Illinois Black Caucus and then Senator Barack Obama who is now the president of the U.S. She was able to get $1.5 million to buy the land where the museum is located.

When adults and children from all ethnic groups come to the museum including many from adjoining states, they are greeted by a sign, “Welcome to the Journey.” Montes and Margaret Galloway, a tour guide for the museum, show their visitors more than displays. “Our goal is to teach our children about the culture and the contributions of African American in building America,” said Montes. Saying black history should not be limited to once a year, Montes teaches African American history every day at the Bronzeville Museum. 

Being educationally focused, she has a room called, “The Tree of Knowledge,” “The Book of Knowledge,” “The House of Knowledge” where there is a large cardboard picture of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It is there where visitors take a flurry of pictures as if they were at the White House.In the “Tree of Knowledge “ room, children are taught the proper food groups in a very animated way. The “Pyramid Power Room,” highlights the history of Harold Pierce who in 1950 began the Harold Chicken franchise, Lewis Howard Latimer who invented the carbon filaments used in light bulbs in 1881, and Garrett Morgan who invented the traffic lights and other historic African American Chicagoans. 

One of the favorite exhibits is the “Plasma Globe” where children watch the movement of the magnetic field, the “Green Room” where they can see themselves on TV and the “Victory Monument” dedicated to the first black Chicago soldiers who fought in WWI. 

Montes has been more than just a former teacher. Thanks to the late Mayor Washington, she was the commissioner and executive director of the first Chicago Commission on Women. “Mayor Washington believed in providing parity and equality to women.” During the Washington campaign, there was the Women’s Network “which was really behind his winning.”Montes reached out to women of all nationalities and religions. “We were successful in getting Harold Washington elected.” She said the one promise he made to them was to create a women’s commission. 

She then went on to help thelate Cook County Board President John H. Stroger, Jr. who also granted her wish in creating the County’s first Women Commission where she remains chairman and commissioner after 16-years. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinklere-appointed her to another term. Montes’ mission on this committee is to expose “the big, serious” human trafficking problem right here in Chicago.

The Bronzeville Children’s Museum hours are: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tour hours are 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1 p.m. and the last tour is at 2 p.m. The museum is closed Sunday and Monday.For further information including reservations for field trips, birthday party packages (for members only held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.), or teacher education workshops, call: 773.721.9301 or fax: 773.721.9303. For membership rates, click on: www.bronzevillechildrensmuseum.com.Admission is $5.00.###