VIDEO TOUR: Senator Kelly Tours the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum

February 15, 2022

VIDEO TOUR: Senator Kelly Tours the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum - CT Senate Republic

 

 

STRATFORD – Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) recently toured the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum, the first museum of its kind in New England, to highlight the museum’s impactful exhibits and encourage the public to visit to learn more about African American history.

 

“I was honored to recently visit the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum for the second time to reflect on Black History Month and share this wonderful museum with our community,” said Senator Kevin Kelly. “Stratford is very blessed to have this museum right here in our town. It is educational and provocative. It shares both difficult and empowering pieces of our nation’s history. This museum celebrates the important point that the key to the future is understanding the past. By learning about what has happened throughout history people will be better equipped to make sure that they don’t repeat painful history moving forward, and they embrace the good. This museum absolutely adds to the fabric of our community and we are so lucky to have the museum here in Stratford. If you haven’t visited yet, plan your visit now.”

 

Senator Kelly was joined by Jeffrey A. Fletcher, the owner and collector of the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum.

“The journey started probably two years after the passing of both my parents,” said Jeffrey A. Fletcher during the tour with Sen. Kelly. “I realized that my mom had a collection that told her story of her childhood and my dad’s childhood living in Jim Crow south at a young age. This museum is a chronological journey that starts at the continent of Africa and we take small steps through various points in African American history.”

 

You can watch Sen. Kelly’s tour of the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum here

The tour highlights various exhibits and collections of artifacts which reflect decades of turbulent times for African Americans in the United States during the period of slavery and the Civil Rights movement. It brings visitors up close and personal with experiences that many have only read about in history books or seen in movies.

 

The Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum describes its exhibit as embracing “the teachings of tolerance, diversity, unity and educating people that there was a time when imagery played a significant role in how African Americans were perceived. The artifacts and memorabilia may seem to be difficult to view but they are a part of African American history that needs to be told just as much as the triumphs which were made by African American pioneers and trailblazers.”

Learn more at africanamericancollections.com 

 

Watch Sen. Kelly’s tour with Jeffrey A. Fletcher here.

Museum Hours:

Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saturday 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Closed on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday

*Schools and organizations are encouraged to make appointments for Mondays and Wednesdays