In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Supreme Court includes, for the first time, a Black woman. In Multnomah County’s Midland Library last week, visitors viewed a pair of shackles, a whip, and a Ku Klux Klan hood. 

The jarring juxtaposition kicked off Multnomah County Library’s annual communitywide Everybody Reads program, which this year takes up Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s memoir, Lovely One.

At Midland, visitors looked at the Black History 101 Mobile Museum display in silence.

The traveling museum, which traces Black history from slavery to the present, makes another Portland stop this week, from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at the North Portland Library, with a presentation by its founder, Khalid el-Hakim, at 4 p.m. It is a stunning testament to fortitude along with the darker side of humanity. Do not look away. This is rare documentation of a history worth learning. 

Aislyn “Ace” Brown, a librarian at the North Portland Library, is looking forward to hosting the museum and already has her ticket to hear Justice Jackson speak March 12 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, in an event sponsored by Literary Arts. Luckily, Brown got her ticket right away, because the culminating event of the countywide reading program sold out in one day. 

The mobile museum is one of many events Multnomah County Library offers for the 2026 Everybody Reads program. Readers can pick up a free copy of Lovely One at libraries this month. Brown had to order six more boxes of the book because the library ran out of copies so quickly. 

“I am a Black woman and align with the Black community,” Brown said. “There are a lot of injustices we are fighting, and Black women tend to be at the front of the line when it comes to justice and revolution.”

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Brown is also a member of the Multnomah County Library Black Advocacy Cultural Group, composed of about 70 library staff who shelve books, help with presentations, and plan events. The library has several cultural advocacy groups that serve as a bridge between the library and the wants of specific cultural groups, Brown said.

The Everybody Reads calendar features a variety of events, among them a vision board workshop for girls on Jan. 18 at Central Library, and Handwriting the Constitution at three libraries in January and February. Book discussions and art, music, and cultural activities fill the schedule. The Black History 101 Mobile Museum will also be at community colleges in Portland and Eugene Jan. 21-27 and at several public schools. 

At a young age, el-Hakim, a former social studies teacher, started collecting artifacts that became primary source material for the museum, making history real and providing representation not seen in textbooks. He has been touring the country with the Black History 101 Mobile Museum for 31 years. According to el-Hakim, it has been presented in 43 states at more than 1,000 venues, including Lincoln Center, the FBI, major corporations, and university campuses. This tour will take it to about 70 venues. 

Almost every seat was filled last week when el-Hakim spoke to a rapt audience for an hour, sharing anecdotes, some uncomfortable truths, and valuable accomplishments. One little known fact el-Hakim shared is that in 1949, the Tuskegee Airmen’s 332nd Fighter Group was the first ever to win the U.S. Air Force’s “Top Gun” competition. He also mentioned Lena Horne, who was not only a performer but also an activist. He explained the contributions of several Black leaders, writers, and activists, questioning history’s omission of their accomplishments. 

Justice Jackson’s book is her story of accomplishment, family, and the determination it took to become only the sixth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. 

“I am really excited about the book,” Brown said. “As a Black woman, I am overjoyed to see representation in literature and life. It is nice to see a dark-skinned Black woman who means a lot of different things, especially during this time.”

Among many intriguing pieces, the Black history museum exhibit contains books and games for children from earlier days. One book, Told by Uncle Remus; the Wonderful Tar Baby, sits upright near a board game called The Adventures of Little Black Sambo. During his presentation, el-Hakim said that some of the most horrendous material is for kids. These toys helped shape a child’s perception of race.

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In the 1960s, Klan members carried a sign that read, “America First; One God, One Country, One Flag.” Like a marketing campaign, the slogans continue to this day.

Record albums and photos of musicians including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, the Jacksons, and Jimi Hendrix fill the exhibit. A 1999 cover of Time magazine features Lauryn Hill and “Hip Hop Nation,” all about how hip hop changed America after 20 years. In the 1980s, Public Enemy performed hip hop with political messages, and the group plays a role in the exhibit.  

The exhibit moves on to President Barack Obama, with memorabilia urging people to vote. Black Lives Matter signs, George Floyd, and protest photos are featured. During his presentation, el-Hakim showed a photo of a young Obama attending the 1995 Million Man March. 

“It was a sea of Black men, peaceful, disciplined, and proud,” Obama said at the time.

Further down the timeline, Ketanji Brown Jackson held her head up, pursued a successful law career and eventually took her place on the Supreme Court in 2022. She proudly tells her story in Lovely One.