The Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum has called Sacramento home for 30 years, and is considered the only museum in the region dedicated to preserving Black history.
Shonna McDaniels founded the museum in 1996. Named after the legendary abolitionist and civil rights activist, its mission includes providing art education to students across the area and organizing community beautification projects throughout South Sacramento.
“What better way to connect human beings together than in the form of creation and doing art,” said McDaniels. “And not only art, but of course history. I tell everyone that African-American history is world history. We’ve made so many contributions to this world and it’s important for everyone to learn this history so we can feel better connected.”
The Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum taken on Thursday June 25, 2026.Vicki Gonzalez/CapRadio
McDaniels explains a lack of funding in recent years is putting the museum at risk of closure.
“We didn’t think that having the only African American museum in Sacramento that we wouldn’t get the help that we need,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking. There’s absolutely no help for us in Sacramento.”
Inside the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum taken on Thursday June 25, 2026.Vicki Gonzalez, CapRadio
The longtime museum is located inside Florin Square, home to a large collaboration of Black-owned businesses known as Black Wall Street. From floor to ceiling, the space is an eclectic exploration of African Americans and their legacy.
“You’re not going to see a lot of museums that are eclectic, like where art’s everywhere and where there’s information everywhere,” said docent Judah X Pimentel. “Museums have been normalizing minimalism a lot lately, and that they have been for years. But I like that it’s more maximalist here, and that’s a unique experience in itself.”
Artwork by David Washington and Izzy Lowe honoring Sarah Baartman (left) and Henrietta Lacks at the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum taken on Thursday June 25, 2026.Vicki Gonzalez/CapRadio
Pimental explained the range of pieces include, but go beyond the Civil Rights Movement and slavery, to also celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans as well as neglected parts of history at risk of being forgotten.
“The history is deep and it’s unfiltered. I think that’s really important, to see it through the side of truth rather than sugarcoating.”
A longtime professional muralist and visual artist, McDaniels had been teaching art classes and organizing exhibits in Oak Park and Del Paso communities when she came across the space to open a museum in 1996.
“Art has always been part of my life. I tell everyone that I came into this world with a paintbrush in my hand,” said McDaniels. “I’ve seen so many generations grow up under my tutelage.”
Shonna McDaniels is the founder of the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum in Sacramento. A visual artist, this is McDaniels’ piece titled “The Black Madonna” © 2007 taken on Thursday June 25, 2026.Vicki Gonzalez/CapRadio
What began as the Sojourner Truth Cultural Center, McDaniels explained her mission has always gone beyond museum walls. She along with a collective of artists regularly go into schools to uplift the next generation of creatives.
“Our current exhibit are students from Sheldon High School,” said McDaniels. “The schools don’t really have art like the way we present art. We do so much art engagement in our community. That would just disappear.”
The museum’s creative footprint can also be seen throughout South Sacramento.
“Beautification projects which include street banners, street murals on buildings and utility boxes,” explained McDaniels. “Every type of activation we do, we invite the community so they can feel a part of creating public art in their community.”
The Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum is located inside Florin Square, home to a large collaboration of Black-owned businesses known as Black Wall Street. The museum’s creative footprint can be seen entering the building. Taken on Thursday June 25, 2026.Vicki Gonzalez/CapRadio
The Sojourner Truth Museum’s finances grew dire following an expansion during the pandemic. McDaniels explains she took a leap of faith in 2021 when a neighboring space closed, but the initial starter funding is now long gone.
“Our rent just went up tremendously,” she explained, adding that it’s been a challenge to receive enough grant funding.
“Some of them have said that, ‘you all are a museum. We can’t believe that you do all of the work that you do. We can’t believe that you have a youth docent program, that you have an entrepreneur program, that you have a workforce development program, you’re a museum,’” said McDaniels. “But they’re not sending no one to come here and see what we’re doing. Because the community knows what we do, what we’ve been doing for years. We just did a mobile tour at a local school. We served about close to 700 students.”
Shonna McDaniels, the founder and executive director of the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum (left), docent and artist Judah X Pimentel (center), and Shonna’s mother Ollie McDaniels taken on Thursday June 25, 2026.Vicki Gonzalez/CapRadio
McDaniels’ hopes are squared-in on the museum’s fundraising event, the 15th Annual Sacramento Banana Festival happening Aug. 15-16 at William Land Park.
“The banana brings together other diverse groups of people around the world,” explaining the inspiration behind the festival.
“Initially people were like, ‘bananas don’t grow in California.’ But yeah, there are banana farmers in California. The gentleman in West Sacramento, he actually comes out and sets up at every banana festival.”
McDaniels added it was the first banana festival in California, and inspired others.
“People don’t know that we actually helped cultivate the banana festival in Ventura, California,” she explained. “They loved what we did because we are a collective of artists. We made banana hats, banana jewelry, banana eating contest, banana bake-off, you name it. And they were like, well, can you all come and help us?”
As funding gaps loom, for McDaniels, the festival’s success is intertwined with the fight to keep the museum alive.
“It’s kind of been shocking to us. It’s a tough one. But we’re trying to keep that ball rolling.”
Insight Senior Producer Andrew Garcia contributed to this reporting.
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