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FAHI Runs on Community
GET INVOLVED
FAHI's mission is upheld and sustained through our volunteers. Every person who gives their time helps keep African-American history alive and accessible for the next generation. There is a place for you here.
Help staff the museum during open hours — Wednesdays and every third Saturday. Welcome visitors, assist with tours, and keep the space running smoothly.
Museum Operations
Support student field trips, school programming, and community workshops. FAHI regularly hosts students from across the region — your help makes those visits possible.
Education & Outreach
Help document the stories of community members before they are lost. Recording, transcribing, and archiving oral histories is one of the most meaningful things you can do for future generations.
Oral History Recording
Ready to Get Involved?
Whether you have an hour a month or want to become a regular presence at FAHI, we want to hear from you. Volunteers are the backbone of everything we do.
executivedirector@fahimuseum.org | (276) 732-3496
Your Gift Keeps History Alive.
FAHI is the only African-American history museum within a 30-mile radius of Martinsville, Virginia — and it runs on the generosity of people like you. Every donation, every membership, every act of giving directly funds the work of preserving, celebrating, and sharing the African-American story of Martinsville and Henry County.
This history belongs to all of us. Help us protect it.
Frequency
One time
Monthly
Yearly
Amount
Museum Partner
$250
Friend of History
$500
Dillard Society
$1,000
Other
0/100
Comment (optional)
"If we don't preserve, protect, and share our history, who will?"
WHY YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS
History Doesn't Preserve Itself.
Fayette Street was once Martinsville's Black Wall Street: a thriving corridor of Black-owned businesses, a hospital, a pharmacy, a theater, a dance hall, and a community that built something extraordinary in the face of segregation.
Dr. Dana Baldwin, one of the first Black doctors in the region, created an entire ecosystem of Black enterprise right here. The June German Ball, founded in 1938 by the Baldwin Brothers, drew hundreds of attendees from across the South for nearly 30 years. Otis Redding and Joe Tex performed on that stage.
These stories exist because people fought to preserve them. FAHI exists to make sure they are never lost again — and that the next generation of Martinsville residents knows exactly what their community built.
WHERE YOUR DONATION GOES
Here is what your gift is funding:
FAHI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, meaning your gift goes directly to the work, not overhead.
Your donation supports:
Exhibits and special collections — including rotating and permanent displays of local and national African-American history
Oral history recording sessions — capturing the voices and stories of community members before they are lost
Student field trips and school programming — FAHI regularly hosts students from across the region
Community workshops, public forums, and lectures — fulfilling FAHI's core educational mission
Building renovation and maintenance at 211 Fayette St — the former Imperial Savings & Loan, the last Black-owned savings & loan in Virginia
OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT FAHI
There Are Many Ways to Give.
Grants & Institutional Funding
Is your organization, foundation, or employer looking to invest in cultural preservation, community education, or African-American history? FAHI welcomes grant partnerships and institutional giving. Contact us to discuss opportunities.
In-Kind Donations
FAHI gratefully accepts in-kind contributions including archival materials, historical photographs, artifacts, office supplies, and professional services. If you have something you believe belongs in FAHI's collection or could support our work, please reach out.
Spread the Word
Share FAHI's story with your network. Follow us on social media, share our events, and tell your friends and family about the work being done at 211 Fayette Street. Awareness is one of the most powerful gifts you can give.