About the Museum

The Greene County African American Museum is dedicated to the empowerment of and truth-telling about African American lives in Greene County, Georgia.

The Museum is designed to inspire a clarity of heart and mind by sharing with all the important contributions and stories of Greene County’s African American community throughout its history to the present day.

Director and Founder Greene County African American Museum Mamie Hillman

Mamie Hillman is a social entrepreneur, organizer, educator and historian who has committed her life to honoring her ancestors by establishing a world in which their descendants, African Americans in and around Greene County, Georgia, can flourish. Knowing that she is the wildest dream of her ancestors, she has worked without ceasing since 1995 to establish the Greene County African American Museum in Greensboro, GA, scheduled to open October 2020, a place where the truth will be told about Black lives in Greene County, from forced migration to enslavement to Reconstruction to Jim Crow to Civil Rights to today. Mamie’s first book, Black America Series: Greene County Georgia (Arcadia Press, 2004), tells the story of Black life in the County from its origins to today. She is preparing to publish her second book, The Finest of the Wheat: The History of Greene County’s African American Churches 1844-2003. A revered and beloved community activist, Mamie founded and continues to lead Empowering Parents for Troubled Times, offering services and programs to help families prevent, manage and recover from violence in Greene County. Mamie was honored to be named a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Fellow in their Citizens Participating in Rural Communities Program.

Board of Directors

Mary-Angel Ekezie became involved with the Greene County African American Museum and its mission while at Mercer University as a student government representative. Since then, Mary-Angel has worked as an intern at the museum and is passionate about getting students and the next generation engaged in history and civic activity. She hopes to use her experience at the museum as the foundation of her career in public health and healthcare.

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Jill thanks her parents for instilling in her a heart for local community leadership, stewardship of rural land, and honoring one’s ancestors and “landcestors.” Jill’s ancestors (Burge) settled in nearby Newton County, Georgia as slave holders on Muscogee land following the 1807 land grants.

In 2018, Jill co-founded a community of small group inquiry and practice, Seeing Whiteness for anti-racist action, on the premise that honesty spurs change: racial justice, healing of the land, and thriving for all God’s people. Her experience as an educator, parent, facilitator, community connector, and chaplain, and her commitment to following Black women like Mamie Hillman and amplifying Black narratives will guide her service