*On this date in 1955, we celebrate the Nacirema Club. The Nacirema Club (its name "American" spelled backward) was a Black-owned association located at 3949 Fourth Avenue South in Minneapolis.
Because of Jim Crow segregation, the Black culture needed its community mainstays and organizations. The Nacirema ran until 1987, with a membership of 600 in 1968; many of its officers were members of the Masonic Lodge. The private club was known for hosting community group meetings, Christmas parties, fashion shows, and weekend jazz musicians.
Club officers included Minneapolis residents Anthony 'Brutus 'Cassius, Howard Brown, Aaron Arredondo, Thomas Johnson, John McHie (President), Claude Mason, John Underwood (not pictured), and Charles Rhodes (not pictured). Many prominent musicians played there, including Prince, Jimmy Jam Harris, and Bobby Lyle. As of 2018, the building housed the Nacirema for three decades and is home to El Bethel Baptist Church.
