Dan Moore Jr. grew up with Atlanta's most prominent civil rights leaders walking in and out of his family home. To him, they were just his aunties and uncles. It wasn't until he got older that he learned who they truly were.
Rev. Dr. C.T Vivian. Andrew Young. Jean Childs Young. Maynard Jackson. They all passed through. When Moore's father, Dan Moore Sr., realized that the city known as America’s Black Mecca didn't have a real institution preserving its history, he began collecting artifacts reflecting Atlanta’s Black culture and heritage.
In 1978, Moore’s collection became the African American Panoramic Experience. Better known as the Apex Museum, it is the first Black history museum not just in Atlanta but in Georgia.
The younger Moore never imagined that someday he'd be sitting in his father's chair. After his father's passing in 2024, he knew he had large shoes to fill. Today, Dan Moore Jr is the CEO of the Apex Museum. Let this story be a reminder that we all play an important role in preserving our history.
To learn more about Dan Moore Jr's story and discover others like it, check out For the Record, a national Black oral history project dedicated to preserving the stories, memories, and voices of Black America. Created by Capital B and PushBlack, For the Record ensures that the people, experiences, and histories too often left out of textbooks and official records are preserved in our own words. Add your story to the archive today.