AKRON, Ohio — The Akron Art Museum is usually closed on Mondays, but it opened from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission was free in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
The first exhibit visitors see upon entering is The Soul of Philanthropy, which is on display until Feb. 14.
The exhibit honors Black leaders who have helped build up the community by giving back.
One of the honorees is 68-year-old Pamela Valentine, who was flattered to be nominated and recognized.
"My philosophy is to whom much is given, much is required, and I've been given a lot in my life," Valentine said.
Valentine retired from corporate jobs at Lockheed Martin and the Girl Scouts, serves on several boards, and has volunteered with many organizations, including Project GRAD in Akron.
"I also did their mentoring program where we worked one-on-one with students at Buchtel High School, mentoring them," Valentine said.
Valentine models her dedication to the community after her mother, Lillie Valentine, who died last year at the age of 98 and lived through segregation in Alabama.
"She was on that bus that they would get on the bus in the front, pay their money, get off, and then have to go in the back door. My mother lived that," Valentine said.
The significance of the exhibit takes on extra meaning on MLK Day, especially when Valentine considers how her life began.
"I was born in Alabama when Black babies could not stay in the nursery, so I had to actually stay in the room with my mother for seven days. That's when they kept you in the hospital seven days," Valentine said.
Akron resident Yolanda Dunn, who was named after one of Dr. King's daughters, admired the exhibit and took a picture with Valentine.
"Every day is a day of giving, but especially on MLK Day because Dr. King gave the ultimate price trying to give us, everyone a better way of life," Dunn said.
Alexandra Hauser Vukover, the chief advancement and communications officer for the Akron Art Museum, said it's an honor to host the display.
"This is just part of what we do here at the Akron Art Museum to help amplify community voices," Hauser Vukover said. "To have The Soul of Philanthropy here in our lobby during Martin Luther King Day just means so much to us."
It also means so much to Valentine, who plans to keep giving back.
"It shows how far I've come living the dream," she said.
The Soul of Philanthropy is an initiative of Akron Community Foundation's Black Giving Collective Fund, which is building an endowment to benefit the Black community in Summit County for generations come.
