By Erick Johnson
On June 18, 2022, a new era dawned on Chicago’s iconic DuSable Museum. It was Juneteenth Weekend. DuSable President Perri Irmer unveiled a new name at a ceremony attended by prominent elected officials, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The museum would now be known as The DuSable Black History and Education Center. Hopes were high among museum leadership that the rebranded identity would help generate more revenue by highlighting an educational mandate—curriculum, teacher engagement, and programs—alongside exhibitions and events.
More than three years later, that optimism has cooled. DuSable is still struggling with deficits, debts and lawsuits that point to an uncertain future even as museums in smaller cities like Detroit, Philadelphia and Nashville are thriving under experienced leaders who are drawing substantial contributions and steadily growing revenues for the institutions they serve. Many of those museums once carried deficits before dynamic executives with museum-management track records turned them around by rebuilding development pipelines, publishing audits, and reconnecting mission to community.
In 2022, Irmer changed DuSable’s name, but the move did little to keep the museum out of the red. The deficits, debts and lawsuits continue to stall growth as other Black institutions succeed. For this story, the Crusader reviewed DuSable’s IRS filings from 2015 to 2023—the most recent year filed—and examined the same range of filings for 20 Black museums across the country, including several in Chicago. We also looked at attendance data from Museums in the Park (MIP) and spoke with sources familiar with DuSable’s finances and governance.
Those filings show that in the two most recent years under the new name, DuSable ended with six-figure deficits. In 2023, Irmer’s compensation increased by more than $23,000 to $249,396 while the museum finished $493,486 in the red—its largest shortfall in seven years. In 2022, the year of the rebrand, DuSable posted a $274,636 deficit while Irmer’s earnings slightly decreased compared to prior years. These figures contrast sharply with 2021, when, after seven consecutive years of losses, DuSable returned to the black with a reported surplus of $1,061,755, according to tax filings. For a museum whose deficit had reached as high as $1.2 million in Irmer’s first full year as president and CEO, the 2021 surplus briefly suggested a corner had been turned.
But museums—even beloved, mission-driven ones—are still businesses. Payrolls come due. Utilities, insurance, security, conservation, exhibit fabrication, climate control and building maintenance do not pause for vision statements. Traditionally, museums have depended on contributions, fundraising events and memberships. Membership programs remain important for community engagement but typically account for a relatively small percentage of operating revenue. Galas and special events, once reliable drivers of unrestricted income, have become far less common. Tax filings show few Black museums—including DuSable—still produce expensive annual galas with consistency because overhead, staffing and vendor costs often erode net revenue; when spending outruns returns, the bottom line suffers.
Like many Black institutions, DuSable relies heavily on contributions—government grants, corporate support and individual donations—that make up the bulk of annual revenue. In recent years, contributions accounted for as much as 90 percent of DuSable’s revenue. In 2023, they made up more than 82 percent of the budget; in 2021, the share reached 97 percent, tax filings show. Without contributions, museums like DuSable would not survive. Each year, the institution receives about $1.6 million in taxpayer support through MIP, a consortium of 11 Chicago museums. Yet as expenses rose, DuSable still posted six-figure deficits despite MIP support. From 2012 to 2020, the museum repeatedly ended in the red, public data show, signaling structural imbalances that predate the name change.
Part of the rationale for rebranding in 2022 was grounded in a contemporary fundraising reality: the term “Education Center” can resonate with foundations, family philanthropies and public agencies that prioritize measurable student impact. The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie was often cited as a model. In 2022, that institution reported more than $19 million in revenue, including over $16 million in contributions. In the Hyde Park Herald, Irmer said the new name would help DuSable draw more investment from entities like the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services and better position the museum in competitive grant cycles that prioritize educational outcomes.
But the returns at DuSable have not mirrored that hope. In 2023—the first full year after the rebrand—contributions totaled just over $2.9 million, a sum lower than several pre-rebrand years. In 2022, contributions were about $2.7 million. Both figures trail 2021, when, under the original name, the museum reported roughly $4.1 million in contributions. In 2015, the year Irmer arrived, DuSable took in approximately $3.4 million under its old name. Between 2016 and 2019, contributions remained close to the $2.9 million DuSable reported for 2023: nearly $2.5 million in 2016; over $2.6 million in 2017; nearly $2.6 million in 2018; and nearly $2.4 million in 2019. By contrast, tax filings show that at the Holocaust Museum, contributions from 2015 to 2023 ranged from about $8 million (2018) to more than $16 million (2022). The gap underscores how rebranding alone seldom solves deeper fundraising and program issues without broad development capacity behind it.
On the revenue side, DuSable reported more than $3.6 million in 2023—its highest total in eight years—but still below several earlier peaks: 2015 (nearly $3.8 million), 2011 (nearly $3.8 million), 2010 ($5.1 million) and 2009 ($6.9 million). When the rebrand was unveiled, the Crusader found mixed community reactions. Some saw a smart recalibration that could bring in new grants; others preferred the African-centered name given by founder Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs. “I don’t get the new name,” said Sylvia Jones of Chatham. “This just shows you the thinking of these people.” Zenobia Black, widow of historian Timuel Black, welcomed the change, saying, “I think the new name will be an improvement… because it could generate ten times more funding and it will tell the story of all Black people.”
Three years on, hopes of generating “ten times” more funding have not materialized. Lawsuits, debts and high turnover continue to roil the institution, and questions persist about whether DuSable’s fortunes have improved because of the name change. Spending has climbed. Tax filings show that in 2023, expenses exceeded $4.1 million—the highest since 2016, when they reached $4.3 million in Irmer’s first full year leading the museum. Rising utilities, vendor contracts, and the cost of mounting exhibitions have all pressed the operating budget.
For this story, the Crusader emailed Irmer four times seeking a sit-down interview. We also requested copies of audits, staff evaluations and the CEO’s employment contract. As of press time, Irmer had not responded or released audits for public review. Sources told the Crusader that Irmer’s earnings increased despite no performance evaluation by the board. Those same sources allege that—unlike past presidents Carol Adams and Antoinette Wright—Irmer continues to work without a contract as an at-will employee. The museum did not respond to questions about those claims.
According to multiple individuals familiar with board discussions, Interim Board member Franz Mullings—who replaced the late Patrick McGhee—raised concerns in March about rising expenses and announced plans to implement staff evaluations. Those individuals allege that Irmer aligned with certain board members—described by sources as her close allies—who then voted to remove Mullings. He had served more than 20 years on the board. Former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun was named to replace him; it remains unclear what she was told before accepting the role. When contacted by phone, Mullings declined to discuss his departure. “If you have any questions regarding the DuSable,” he said, “you should call the museum.”
Attendance has not provided a counterweight. MIP data show 104,357 visitors at DuSable in 2024—essentially unchanged from the prior year. Flat attendance rarely tells a story by itself, but it often signals that programming and marketing are not consistently breaking through. This summer, a large family reunion that came to Chicago decided against a DuSable visit after concluding there was little emphasis on the city’s own Black history—the people, places and defining events—beyond broad national narratives. “We already knew about the March on Washington and segregation,” one reunion member said. The group, which included relatives from across the country, instead took a guided tour of Bronzeville, visiting sites that once fell squarely within DuSable’s interpretive center of gravity.
The timing is painful because interest in Black history is surging. Since the 2016 opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian has averaged approximately 1.6 million visitors per year. New Black museums have opened across the country, and many have flourished with large contributions and multi-million-dollar grants. In 2021, as protests continued after the murder of George Floyd, the Urban Institute wrote that African American museums “are more than guardians of history and culture… They help restore public memory by chronicling social and political movements, including Reconstruction and the labor, women’s rights, civil rights, Black Power, and Black Lives Matter movements. These institutions serve as important community assets for engaging youth and other residents.”
Peer institutions offer a stark contrast. In Detroit, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History—founded by Dr. Charles Wright, a contemporary and friend of Dr. Burroughs—reported $11.7 million in contributions and $13.4 million in revenue in 2023. In 2022, the Wright took in $17.5 million in contributions and $7.9 million in revenue. The Wright’s 2024 filing shows a record $18.6 million in contributions and $20.8 million in total revenue without a name change. That same filing lists total assets at $31.6 million, marking 13 straight years of asset growth since 2011. DuSable’s assets moved in the opposite direction, falling from a high of $20 million in 2009 to about $14.2 million in 2023.
The Wright’s success is not accidental. Detroiters affectionately call it “The Wright,” and it has leveraged a robust event calendar, celebrated exhibitions, and deep community ties. The museum just marked its 60th anniversary with its gala, decades after Dr. Wright, a physician, founded it in 1965. For years, the Wright has anchored the massive three-day African World Festival on Hart Plaza, a civic celebration that blends heritage with contemporary Detroit. Visitors to the Wright’s website find a user-friendly hub that lists programs and events for adults, teens and children. Importantly, the Wright posts its audits and annual reports online—a transparency measure donors often cite as a reason for confidence.
The turnaround followed real turbulence. Before Neil Barclay became president and CEO, the Wright posted multiple year-end deficits, including an over $1 million shortfall in 2019. The Detroit Free Press reported that the museum faced possible bankruptcy at least twice in the last 15 years and barely made budget in other years, even as membership and donors increased. Barclay is an attorney with deep museum and performing arts leadership experience—credentials critics note Irmer did not have when she was hired at DuSable. He previously led the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans for five years, during which the budget grew by more than 40 percent with lead gifts from major arts philanthropists, according to MuseumNext. He earlier served as associate director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Performing Arts Center and was the founding president and CEO of the August Wilson Center in Pittsburgh. Today, the Wright employs 103 staff—roughly three times DuSable’s—across development, marketing, programming, education, and operations, the kind of breadth that supports fundraising and audience growth.
Philadelphia’s African American Museum (AAMP) is another instructive example. Opened in 1976, AAMP endured mounting deficits for years—roughly -$414,000 in 2011, -$1.6 million in 2020 and -$1.2 million in 2021—before recruiting Dr. Ashley Jordan in 2022 from Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, where she served as senior director of development. Within a year, contributions rose from $1.9 million to $2.7 million. In 2023, contributions reached $5.1 million—its highest in recent memory—and total revenues exceeded $6.5 million after AAMP expanded local exhibits highlighting Philadelphia’s Black history and curated events that pulled audiences from across the city.
Despite her experience and AAMP’s surge, filings show Dr. Jordan’s 2023 salary was $164,306—well below Irmer’s $249,395. In 2023, AAMP also announced plans to relocate to the iconic Benjamin Franklin Parkway, home to the Philadelphia Museum of Art of “Rocky” fame. “I’d like for the museum to be a cultural destination within the state,” Jordan told the Philadelphia Tribune. “People have options… and I don’t want people to pass us up. I’m making sure our exhibitions are cutting-edge… and our lecture series is innovative and thought-provoking.”
African American Museum in Philadephia, PA.
In Nashville, the National Museum of African American Music reported $6.6 million in contributions and $10.9 million in revenue in 2023. Its location—at 5th and Broadway near the historic Ryman Auditorium—places it at the heart of the city’s tourism economy. The museum opened in 2021 after receiving $1 million from the Regions Foundation and $500,000 from the Mike Curb Foundation in 2019. Showcasing genres from spirituals and blues to hip-hop, NMAAM lists more than $37 million in assets—more than double DuSable’s.
Dr. Burroughs’ legacy stretches far beyond DuSable’s walls. Alongside Dr. Charles Wright and others, she helped launch the Association of African American Museums in Washington, D.C., in the late 1960s, creating a network of leadership, practice and mutual aid that still shapes the field. In 1982, she helped educator Carlos Tortolero establish the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum—now the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) in Pilsen. In 2023, NMMA brought in about $10.3 million in contributions—more than triple DuSable’s—reaching $11.2 million in total revenue. In 2022, NMMA received roughly $7.4 million in contributions and more than $7.8 million in revenue; today, its assets exceed $25 million. In 2021, after philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s $8 million gift—the largest in NMMA’s history—contributions hit a record $15.5 million, with $15.2 million in total revenue.
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, MI.
Attendance tells a parallel story. While DuSable’s 2024 visitor count was flat, NMMA’s jumped. MIP data show NMMA recorded 179,323 visitors in 2024, a 58 percent increase from 112,961 in 2023. In September, the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Humboldt Park unveiled a new outdoor exhibit showcase after raising $9 million for the project. Filings show NMPRAC received more than $3.4 million in contributions and $3.5 million in revenue in 2023. Attendance there climbed to 67,162 in 2024, up 20 percent from 55,928 in 2023. And in Kenwood, the former home of blues legend Muddy Waters is being transformed into a museum. In 2023, the project received a $1.1 million Mellon Foundation grant. Though not yet open, filings show that in its first year of operations, the Muddy Waters project received more than $2 million in contributions and more than $2.6 million in revenue; in 2023, contributions totaled $1.7 million and revenue $2.2 million.
Which brings the question back home: why isn’t DuSable sharing similar momentum, despite its prestige and seniority as one of the oldest Black independent museums in the nation? Sources told the Crusader that many corporations and foundations are reluctant to donate because of DuSable’s history of financial and board problems. Though DuSable has mounted new exhibits and events in recent years, it has yet to generate the sustained excitement that translates into multi-year giving, annual attendance growth and a larger membership base.
The Roundhouse sits at the center of both the museum’s ambitions and concerns. In 2018, DuSable acquired the former horse stable designed by famed Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. The 61,000-square-foot building, across the street from the museum, was meant to anchor a plan to create the nation’s first African American museum campus—a complex of galleries, education spaces and community amenities that could draw repeat visitors and school partnerships. The Roundhouse remains largely undeveloped. It has hosted events and the Emmett Till exhibit in June 2023, demonstrating its potential, but that promise requires capital investment, operating dollars and a long-term business plan that funders can trust.
Irmer was hired in 2015, replacing Carol Adams, who retired in 2014 after five years at the helm. An architect and attorney, Irmer had little prior experience leading a museum, and many sources told the Crusader they still do not understand why the board chose an inexperienced leader to run a struggling yet essential Black institution. They point to turnarounds at the Wright and AAMP that began only after hiring presidents deeply experienced in fundraising, donor cultivation and institutional strategy.
Since Irmer’s tenure began, DuSable has continued to grapple with lawsuits, debts, deficits and allegations of financial impropriety. At a 2023 board meeting, it was revealed that a $1.1 million deficit was expected from the programs department. In terms of overall expenses and revenue, there was a projected $300,000 deficit. Staff member Charmaine Cargill provided a list of debts totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, including an $86,000 balance with ComEd; $240,000 to Terry Dowd, LLC for collections storage; $150,000 on an SBA loan; $250,000 to PNC Bank for a line of credit; $28,659 to Leaf Capital Finance; and $40,000 to Blackbaud Accounting. Those obligations came in the same year DuSable recorded its largest year-end deficit since 2016. At one point, the museum did not have enough cash to make payroll, the Crusader confirmed. The museum did not respond to questions about these debts or the payroll episode.
In 2018—the same year seven board members, including Chance the Rapper, abruptly resigned—DuSable staged a fundraiser at the Marriott Marquis Chicago featuring the late actress Cicely Tyson, who received a $10,000 honorarium. By calculations shared with the Crusader, the gala cost at least $130,000 to stage. Without strong underwriting and post-event gifts, such spending can become a burden rather than a boost.
In February of this year, DuSable named Dilla Thomas—operator of the popular Mahogany Tours that begin in the museum’s parking lot and visit Bronzeville sites—as brand ambassador in a bid to increase attendance and visibility. The museum’s press release did not specify Thomas’s duties, salary or compensation structure. Thomas did not respond to text messages seeking details. Some community members welcomed the partnership as a bridge between DuSable and neighborhood heritage tourism; others questioned whether it signaled a marketing tactic without an accompanying programming strategy.
Inside the museum, former staff describe a finance shop with limited autonomy. Kerensky Rhoden, who worked as a staff accountant for two years before resigning in January, told the Crusader he was heavily micromanaged and had little control over the museum’s finances. “Everything was always through her for approval. It was run with Perri’s pocketbook. They surround themselves with yes-people,” Rhoden alleged. “It was never a finance department that ran the way it should be run. Perri prevented me from coming to meetings. I was kicked out sometimes. I left on my own because there was too much oversight into everything. I had to get approval for everything. I chose to leave because of that. It was a hot mess at the DuSable. The department attracted money-grabbing friends there and Dr. Burroughs’ legacy is just shot. I wasn’t going anywhere with my job. So, I just left.” These statements are allegations; DuSable did not respond to questions about them.
What would it take for DuSable to turn a corner? The examples are in plain view. The Wright posted audits and annual reports, added development capacity, diversified programming and rebuilt donor trust. AAMP recruited a leader with fundraising expertise, put local history at the center of its exhibitions, and aimed for a prominent address to amplify visibility. NMAAM married mission to place, situating itself where visitors already are and using partnerships to keep programming fresh. Chicago’s own NMMA and NMPRAC pursued ambitious projects while focusing relentlessly on community relevance, transparency and growth.
Chicago’s oldest Black museum has the history, the location and the name recognition to do the same. The Roundhouse could become a signature campus if backed by a credible capital plan. Annual audits, posted for public review, could reestablish confidence with funders that require transparency. A development roadmap with clear targets—gifts, grants, memberships, corporate sponsorships—could stabilize operations. And a programming arc that centers Chicago’s Black stories alongside national narratives could remind the city why DuSable matters at street level: classrooms visiting during the week, families on weekends, elders and alumni returning to see themselves reflected.
DuSable has always been a place where history was not a distant echo but a living inheritance. That is the legacy of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs—artist, educator, organizer, and institution-builder—who knew that culture is a form of power and memory a form of freedom. The museum that bears DuSable’s name and stands on Dr. Burroughs’ work is too important to fail. But to endure, it must meet this moment with the same clarity and courage that built it: aligning leadership and board oversight with transparency, rebuilding donor confidence through published numbers and steady delivery, and opening its doors to tell Chicago’s Black story in a way that is unmistakably local and undeniably excellent.
EDITOR’S NOTE: At the Crusader press deadline, Raymond Ward, media relations and special projects director at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, emailed the Crusader with this note after our repeated requests to interview its president, Perri Irmer.
“We apologize for the delay in responding to your correspondence. We have also received your data which has been reviewed and there are serious inaccuracies which need to be addressed. Cecil Lucy our former CFO and General Counsel will be in touch with you within the next few days to discuss.”
The Crusader replied with an email asking again for copies of audits, employment contracts and staff evaluations. The Crusader also asked the museum to specify the “inaccuracies” they alleged in their delayed response.
Shortly after the museum’s response, Lucy emailed the Crusader this message: “Unfortunately, I have few pressing client matters that I have immediate deadlines for. I can’t say exactly when I will get to it. Probably this weekend.”