This past Saturday, the Chicago Cultural Alliance had the privilege of joining Core Member, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC), at their new permanent location at 4623 N. Clark Street. HAMOC purchased this new home in 2025 and has been working tirelessly since then to bring this new chapter of the organization to life.
The lead-up to the March 21st event has been incredibly busy for HAMOC, which provided four presentations on Jean Baptiste Point DuSable—a Haitian man and the first non-indigenous founder of Chicago—to students in grades 3 through 8, and hosted a Meet & Greet for various Black and African organizations across Illinois. Additionally, HAMOC’s PR Consultant, Nathalie, joined Mr. Emile Andre of Radio L’Union to discuss HAMOC’s upcoming events and Grand Reopening, while their Collections Team conducted a productive site visit to the Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC) to learn about their collection storage space. Furthermore, as part of the Alliance Française de Chicago’s Francophonie Month celebration, HAMOC participated in the annual Kick-Off event, where hundreds of community members enjoyed food from French-speaking countries, with the Haitian cuisine being a notable highlight.
The Grand Reopening was a great success, filled with excitement as HAMOC’s Founder, Elsie Hector Hernandez, and Director of Programs and Museum Practice, Carlos Bossard, kicked off the proceedings. It was a wonderful day of music, art, food, and poetry. Many notable guests in attendance, including the Consulate General of Haiti, the Honorable Lionel Jean-Baptiste, and Alderwoman Angela Clay. Chicago Cultural Alliance Executive Director, Dr. Mónica Félix, was honored to be invited to give remarks as well. The Haitian American Museum of Chicago has been an active member of the CCA for over a decade. Dr. Félix highlighted the incredible accomplishments of this community-based museum in her remarks, citing the many ways in which they have shared authentic content from the Haitian and Haitian-American community through original exhibits, oral histories, and workshops over the years. Other highlights from the day’s celebrations included musical performances to energize guests and live painting from Haitian artists at the entrance to the grand opening
Founded in 2012, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago is the realization of founder Elsie Hernandez’s dream to create an institution that contributes to Chicago’s rich multicultural tapestry through diverse programs and exhibits.
Thank you to Elsie, Carlos, and the whole HAMOC team for letting us join you in this next phase of your organization.
You can view photos from the day on our social media @chicagocultural
Photography Credit: Nick Robins Photography, robinsfoto.com