Celebrate. Connect. Elevate. Diaspora Festival.
Mission
DiasporaDNA Story Center is a cultural hub that explores origin stories and collective memories from the art, history, and lives of the global majority. We celebrate our shared humanity through story; kinkeeping the common threads of our diasporas across the continuum of time.
Vision
To establish a cultural center in Philadelphia in 2026, as the city and nation celebrates Its 250th Anniversary of Independence. Mobile programs in 2025 & Physical Cultural Center in 2026.
Photo Credit: Will Norton, FABU Inc.
“This March 2025 we lift up the undeniable truth: women of the global majority —don’t just carry history, they 'make' it and we have always been the heartbeat of our diasporas!”
– Monica O. Montgomery, Founder & President, DiasporaDNA Story Center
Read more on our March Newsletter
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History
The center is the vision of Monica O. Montgomery, MA, a curator and professor who, following the passing of her parents, Sandra Brannon Montgomery and Dr. Elvin Montgomery Jr., sought to create a sanctuary for the voices of the African diaspora. Both educators and historians, Sandra and Elvin's life's work laid the foundation for DiasporaDNA. They spent over 50 years collecting, preserving, and safeguarding a vast trove of cultural artifacts—over 5,000 items—including books, photos, ephemera, art, vinyl records, and more. These materials trace the legacies of Black, Caribbean, African, and diasporic communities worldwide, spanning from the mid-19th century to the present.
After his passing, his daughter, Monica O. Montgomery, stepped forward to carry this legacy, not as a duty but as a sacred offering. Through DiasporaDNA, she envisioned a space where memory would not just reside but thrive. A place where the stories of the Black & Global Majority diasporas would breathe, connecting past and present, creating bridges to futures we dare to imagine. DiasporaDNA exists to preserve these stories, to honor the legacy of the global majority, to reclaim the narratives that colonialism and oppression sought to erase.
About the Founder
Monica O. Montgomery knows the weight of legacy. Raised in a household where Black history was more than a subject to study, it was life, it was love, it was duty. Her father, Dr. Elvin Montgomery Jr., and mother, Sandra Brannon Montgomery, filled their home with the stories of their people, with books, photographs, and art that told of lives lived in resilience. Monica inherited not just the physical collection, but the spirit of preservation, the calling to ensure these stories would not die in silence.
Monica’s journey has taken her into museums, classrooms, and archives, where she has worked tirelessly to create spaces of access and belonging. Her work is not only about curating exhibits or archiving artifacts; it is about holding space for the stories that shape
our world. It is about ensuring that Black and Brown people can see themselves, their families, their histories, reflected in the spaces we occupy. DiasporaDNA is a continuation of her life’s work, a tribute to the ancestors and a gift to future generations.
Vision
DiasporaDNA Story Center envisions a world where Black and diasporic stories are not just preserved, but cherished, held as the vital life force they are. We see a world where every member of the global majority has access to their ancestral roots, where their histories are not confined to academic institutions but exist in the communities that live them. We imagine a world where memory is not relegated to the past, but informs our present and guides our future.
Through physical spaces, digital archives, and mobile exhibitions, DiasporaDNA seeks to break down the barriers that have kept our histories hidden or inaccessible. We believe that by preserving these stories, we are shaping a future where every child of the diaspora can see themselves reflected in the world around them, where their heritage is honored, and where their stories are no longer marginalized but centered in the telling of history.
DiasporaDNA is not just about remembering—it is about creating a future where the preservation of Black and diasporic history is an act of collective liberation, a shared responsibility that we all carry, break down the barriers that have kept our histories hidden or inaccessible. We believe that by preserving these stories, we are shaping a future where every child of the diaspora can see themselves reflected in the world around them, where their heritage is honored, and where their stories are no longer marginalized but centered in the telling of history.
How You Can Help
The work of DiasporaDNA cannot thrive without community. We need you—your hands, your voice, your commitment. There are so many ways to support this mission.
Donate to help us expand our archive, digitize precious materials, and create spaces for community engagement. Every contribution, big or small, helps us safeguard the stories that matter most.
Follow Us on social media to stay connected with our latest projects, exhibitions, and events. Share our mission with your network, so more people can be a part of this sacred work.
Spread the Word. Talk about us, share our work, introduce DiasporaDNA to others who care about cultural preservation and the power of storytelling. By amplifying our mission, you help ensure that these stories reach the people who need them the most.
Together, we can create a world where our stories are held up, honored, and shared for generations to come.
Copyright © 2023 - 2025 DiasporaDNA Story Center / DiasporaDNA. All rights reserved.
You're getting this message through your affiliation with Monica O. Montgomery MA who is a curator, community engager and consultant & Founding Executive Director of DiasporaDNA Story Center.