“Grandma, have any Black people besides Martin Luther King Jr accomplished anything?” Domini asked his grandmother Carolyn Hoskins years ago during Black History Month. With the mission of showcasing the achievements of Black Americans, Carolyn went to work to answer him. She gathered sports memorabilia from her late husband, Robert Hoskins of the 49ers, added music and movies, books, political and historic artifacts, and for years hosted a seasonal popup at the county fair before securing a permanent location in downtown Redwood City in 2023.

The museum is a cultural treasure. Its mission is to educate the public about Black history and inspire visitors. It has hosted more than a thousand school children who come through on field trips as well as numerous community events including the Fixin’ SMC holiday party. Nancy Goodban is a volunteer who helps at community events whenever Carolyn asks.

The museum is open noon – 6:00 pm daily except Mondays, staffed by Carolyn and two of her adult children. It is well worth a visit – allow some time to get through the exhibits.

Online donations can be made from Friday July 17 through Tuesday July 21, using link https://www.uufrc.org/community/giving/ and writing “Share the Plate” in the memo line. Please make donations via charitable giving accounts (e.g. Donor Advisory Funds) payable to “UUFRC” and put the Share the Plate recipient name in the memo line. On the Sunday of the collection, all donations, unless otherwise specified, go to Share the Plate.