Museum members hold meeting to discuss fate

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Over 70 people packed a room in the Allen County main library Monday evening to discuss the future of the African/African-American Historical Museum and its Board of Directors.

The meeting was in response to a petition filed by some members of the museum questioning the conduct and proceedings of some of the board members such as how they handled money and maintained meeting minutes. There were claims those moves were not done in accordance with the by-laws, but they are allegations the board said are false.

The majority of the present membership did vote to remove the board, but in order to remove the Board of Directors, there has to be a majority vote in favor by the entire membership, not just those present. However, those opposed say removing the board is a big step that needs more thought because it affects membership and funding.

"It's a good thing that the board probably was not disbanded primarily because it took a long time to create a board that has connections to other stakeholders in the community," said Dr. John Aden, the new Executive Director of the museum.

However, many people were not happy with the outcome. Some said the meeting was more about personal matters and the removal of Hana Stith as the curator. Stith says she will take a closer look at the by-laws to see where she stands and consider taking legal actions, but she doesn't plan on going anywhere.

"I will continue working with the museum as long as I can," Stith said. "I'm the founder of the museum, and I've been collecting things for this for 37 years.

Following tonight's meeting, Aden, who began the end of January, said he has ideas on taking the museum forward. He wants to incorporate new technology into the museum and have rotating exhibitions.