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Southampton
African
American
Museum Opens
Up
Its Doors
After 16
Years of
Planning:
Philanthropist
Jean
Shafiroff
Voluntarily
works to
Raise Funds
for them and
then Donates
The new
Southampton
African
American
Museum (SAAM) held
a VIP
reception
and ribbon
cutting to
celebrate
their
historic
opening.
After
sixteen
years of
planning,
the
transformed
barbershop
to Museum
opened its
doors for a
community
cultural
experience
highlighting
incredible
journeys of
black people
along
unchartered
paths from
Virginia and
the
Carolinas
north to
Southampton,
NY. Prior to
the event,
philanthropist,
donor and
volunteer
fundraiser
for the
museum, Jean
Shafiroff,
donated
$10,000 and
raised
another
$20,000. The
funds Jean
helped
secure is
more than a
third of
their budget
of $85,000
to run the
museum on an
annual
basis.
During her
speech at
the grand
opening, she
encouraged
people to
open their
wallets and
their hearts
to
contribute
to the
fundraising
efforts
which they
graciously
did.
Mr. Emanuel
Seymore was
one of the
people
involved in
the renowned
“Great
Migration,”
the movement
of 6 million
African
Americans
out of the
rural
Southern
United
States to
the urban
Northeast,
Midwest and
West that
occurred
between 1916
and 1970.
The
renovated
former site
of Mr.
Seymore’s
Barbershop
on North Sea
Road is now
the home of
the
Southampton
African
American
Museum.
The grand
opening of
the museum
saw
philanthropists,
politicians,
and artists
come
together for
this
historic
occasion.
Notable
attendees
included: Philanthropist
Jean
Shafiroff,
Co-founder
and
Executive
Director of
SAAM Brenda
Simmons,
Randy
Conquest,
Board
President
Nancy
Stevens-Smith,
Treasurer
Stephanie
Hill, James
Banks,
Brenda
Stuart-Luke,
Stephen
Luke,
Brigette
Fleming,
Fred Thiele,
Jason
Richberg,
Theresa
Santoro,
Jesse
Warren, Jay
Schneiderman,
Assembly
woman
Rebecca
Seawright,
Jay
Herschenson,
Martin
Shafiroff,
Susan
Taylor,
Khephra
Burns,
Artist
Siamak Samii, Dede
Gotthelf of
the
Southampton
Inn,
and Peter
Marino.
The ceremony
began with a
brief
history of
the museum
and the
space it
occupies.
The
presentation
started with
Co-Founder
and
Executive
Director of
SAAM, Brenda
Simmons.
Many public
officials
spoke after
Brenda
expressing
their
support and
importance
of the
museum.
Afterwards,
Jean
Shafiroff
spoke and
asked those
in
attendance
to help with
the
fundraising
efforts.
Professor
and author
of the book,
“Cutting
Along the
Color Line
Black
Barbers and
Barber Shops
in America,”
Quincy
Mills, was
the keynote
speaker for
the evening.
Flutist
extraordinaire
Dwayne Kerr
supplied the
music.
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