The institution was originally known as the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art and made its debut in the living room of their house at 3806 S. Michigan Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago's south side, and Taylor-Burroughs served as its first Executive Director. She was proud of the institution's grass-roots beginnings: "We're the only one that grew out of the Indigenous Black community.
The Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art began in a living room at 3806 S. Michigan Avenue, Bronzeville, Chicago's south side, with Taylor-Burroughs as its first Executive Director. She was proud of the museum’s grassroots origins: "We are the only one that originated from Indigenous Black communities."