The organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs is demanding that DuSable Black History Museum President Perri Irmer resign following her termination of Kim Delaney. She was a high-ranking employee who renewed longstanding concerns about financial mismanagement at the DuSable Museum when she went public with complaints she filed with several agencies.
Delaney’s outspokenness is an extraordinary break from DuSable’s past, where former employees were forced to remain silent after signing non-disclosure agreements. Delaney told the Chicago Crusader that she refused to sign the document or her termination papers.
Free to speak of her experiences, Delaney’s openness about her alleged treatment by Irmer has sounded the alarm about museum management. Former patrons and Chicago residents are rallying to support her as concerns grow about Irmer’s leadership of the country’s oldest independent Black museum.
Those concerns come as the Crusader is poised to publish a two-year, multi-part investigation next week after years of complaints about the DuSable.
The Crusader investigation found that as the DuSable reported annual six figure deficits to the IRS, Irmer received five-figure raises. While the DuSable struggled, other Black and ethnic museums in Chicago and across the country grew in attendance and some received multimillion-dollar grants.
A former accountant at the DuSable said the department was a “money grab” to people Irmer favored.
The investigation also found that many of DuSable’s board members are white friends of Irmer who rarely question her decisions or hold her accountable for the museum’s financial struggles.
For months, the investigation was on hold as the Crusader grew concerned that negative publicity from its scrutiny would hurt the DuSable even further. Chicago Crusader Publisher Dorothy R. Leavell had a close friendship with Dr. Burroughs and, at one point, donated 150 pieces of art to the DuSable Museum. Leavell did not want to harm the museum’s name.
The editorial board agreed to resume the probe following Delaney’s termination.
The investigation also uncovered personal injury lawsuits against the DuSable, instances where sources say the museum did not want to spend money to repair the auditorium lights, repairs that would have prevented the lawsuits.
Meanwhile, concerned residents are preparing to mount a campaign with the Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs Legacy Foundation to demand Irmer’s resignation. The organization scheduled a community meeting this Saturday, October 18, 2025, in the South Chicago neighborhood.
The organization was founded this year by community activist Johnny Acoff and his wife Bonnie. Both are former patrons of the DuSable Museum who did not renew their longtime memberships in 2021 because of the museum’s decline. Johnny Acoff was one of many residents who, over the years, complained about the DuSable management to the Crusader.
Concerned about transparency and accountability, Acoff’s organization is demanding an independent audit of the museum’s finances. The group also wants Delaney reinstated and demands that a town hall meeting be held with the museum’s board, which has been accused for years of not holding Irmer accountable as the museum struggled with high staffing turnover and financial woes under her leadership.
The group also wants the museum’s name changed back to the one Burroughs gave it: The DuSable Museum of African American History.
Fifteen years after her death, there is growing concern that Burroughs’ legacy is being erased as the museum she founded faces an uncertain future.
The group says none of these goals can be achieved if Irmer is not removed as the museum’s president. Irmer has been accused of leading like a dictator who silences or terminates those who disagree with her decisions.
“She needs to go,” said Acoff. “I’ve seen the results of her decisions on that museum. It’s time we speak up and take action. We can’t allow the DuSable to continue to decline. Dr. Burroughs’ legacy is at stake.”
Bonnie Acoff said, “When there needs to be a change, it should be as soon as possible so we can go in a new direction. She needs to resign so things can move forward and allow us to start focusing on making positive changes for the museum.”
Gloria Norwood, a resident in South Chicago, said “I’m so sick and tired of Black folks who have an opportunity to do good for our people blow it, and do good for themselves.”
Terry Clarke, who lives in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, said, Irmer has “hindered, stopped, and interfered with the vital education of the visitors to the museum in general and the people of Chicago in particular.”
“In this period where Trump & Co. are trying to destroy Black history, DuSable and museums like it play an important role and responsibility of preserving that history to populations today.”
In a conversation with the Crusader, Delaney, a retired Chicago State professor, said she loved her job. At one point during the interview, she broke down and cried.
“I saw a purpose in my job. It was very fulfilling to educate our people about their history and past. But no one wanted to speak up about what was really going on at the DuSable. No one.”
In her role as vice president of education and programs, Delaney created events that kept the DuSable relevant amid its financial problems and high employee turnover. It was Delaney who created the popular Juneteenth celebration on the museum’s lawn. She reinstated the museum’s Kwanzaa program after it was removed under Irmer’s leadership. She also brought the National Touring Emmett Till exhibit to the DuSable in 2023.
Delaney said her termination papers say she was let go because of “restructuring.”
Sources told the Crusader that Irmer appointed Perry Diggs to fill Delaney’s position as manager of education and programs. Sources reported further that Diggs does not have the necessary resources and skills to continue events that Delaney created at the DuSable.
On Delaney’s Facebook page, she received 107 comments after she reported her termination.
Darronte Lofton said, “It’s never easy to maintain Our Culture and Blackness among most people. I had just started back liking the place when you got there.”
Another commenter, Lawrence Nalls, said, “Irmer has more than one allegation of this type of behavior. Clearly, this needs to be investigated. She must have a friend on the board.”
Before being fired, Delaney filed official complaints with the museum’s human resources department, the Chicago Inspector General and the Illinois Attorney General’s office. In her complaint, Delaney accuses Irmer of verbal abuse, public defamation, and workplace intimidation; withholding public and private grant funds secured for education programs; reassigning funded projects without cause or explanation; and exclusion from decision-making, denial of access to departmental budgets and professional sabotage.
In a statement, Irmer said the museum “maintains strict financial controls” and “conducts regular audits,” but she did not respond to the Crusader’s request for copies of the audits.
In 2018, former employee Leslie Guy made similar complaints after she was terminated from the DuSable. That same year, seven members of the museum’s Board abruptly left, including Chance the Rapper.
Irmer did not say why Delaney was fired but said “the decision was made by a thorough and fair review process, conducted in accordance with our established policies and procedures.”
Sources told the Crusader that Irmer was always “crafty” with words whenever there were allegations against her leadership.
As part of its two-year investigation that will be published next week, the Crusader learned that DuSable Interim Board Chair Franz Mullins and Patrick McGhee made efforts to help Delaney articulate her complaints to HR. As Delaney moved things along with her complaint, McGhee died after a stroke and Mullins replaced him as interim board chair.
The Crusader learned that Mullins was ousted from the board after he outlined his goals to implement staff evaluations and plans to get the DuSable’s finances in order.