Headline video by  kzoom.com

KALAMAZOO (MICH.)– The Merze Tate Explorers will unveil Driving into History: Black Women, Cars, and Courage on March 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. during Art Hop at the Black Arts & Cultural Center in Kalamazoo. Students will facilitate a panel discussion to share how the project went from concept to reality. The March 6 opening is free and open to the public.

This powerful, youth-created exhibition blends public history, journalism, photography, and cultural storytelling — highlighting 100 years of Black women’s experiences connected to mobility, travel, and automobiles. Inspired by archival images from Picturing Freedom: African Americans and Their Cars by Liz Burns of the Burns Archive in New York, the Explorers stepped into history themselves — recreating historic moments alongside classic vehicles at the Gilmore Car Museum.

The March opening represents the first of three phases of the educational exhibition, made possible through the generous partnership of The Burns Archive and the Gilmore Car Museum, in addition to Bronson Healthcare Group, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo Community Foundation, RJ’s Printing, M2McMillian Media, trailer video producers Kzoom Media, Cataanda James beauty expert, and others.

But this is more than a photo exhibition. In preparation for the project, students used media as they researched:

• The Green Book and safe travel during segregation using motorcities.org
• Sundown towns and racial geography
• The Great Migration
• Civil rights battles connected to public transportation
• The cultural meaning of cars in American life

On opening night, the students will participate in a live panel discussion, sharing what they learned about mobility, courage, and how history still shapes the roads we travel today.

“This project challenged our girls to think critically about freedom — who had it, who fought for it, and how it connects to the present,” said Sonya Hollins, founder of the Merze Tate Explorers. “When they learned about sundown towns, particularly those in Michigan near their own city, they were shocked to learn that during the Jim Crow era, a Black person could be run out of town, simply because they were not to be there when the sun went down. It was a tough blow of reality; a reality that is not too far from their own realities of Driving While Black and police harassment, and the death of Black women, such as Sandra Bland.

After its debut at the Black Arts & Cultural Center, the exhibition will travel to the Gilmore Car Museum for a Phase 2 celebration reception on April 18 at 5 p.m., where it will remain on display through September. The final phase will be hosted at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum from October through January.

Driving into History is the first installation of a growing youth public history and media fellowship model that trains girls in research, journalism, storytelling, and museum interpretation. The project came to life through the creative partnership of those such as the Black Arts and Cultural Center, Dare’l McMillian of M2McMillian Media, and celebrity cosmetologist Cataanta James, who led media and wardrobe teams of professionals. In addition, organizations such as KZoom Media created a video trailer of the photoshoot, and the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre helped with costumes representing those in the images selected from the Burns Archive.

Driving into History: Cameras, Cars & Creativity is made possible through community partnerships and sponsorship support. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, or if your museum, library, school, or organization would like information on reserving the 50-piece multimedia exhibition for a future showing, we would love to hear from you.

For more information, contact Sonya Hollins at contact@MerzeTate.org