WELCOME

African American History & Culture - Since 1975

BECK CULTURAL 
EXCHANGE CENTER

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF

THE BECK-MET GALA 2025!

Thank you for supporting the Beck-Met Gala on Monday, May 5th, at The Grande, in celebration of Beck's 50th Anniversary. We appreciate your assistance and aim to continually honor the rich history and culture of East Tennessee.


As we embark on the next 50 years of preserving Black history and culture, we need your continued support.

BEAUFORD DELANEY

On Monday, May 5th, the Beck Cultural Exchange Center proudly hosted a live auction featuring two original artworks by Beauford Delaney, custom-framed exclusively for the Beck-Met Gala. This auction was a vital part of the evening, emphasizing the importance of art and culture within our community. It provided a unique opportunity to acquire a distinctive piece of history while supporting the ongoing initiatives of the Beck. The bidding concluded with final offers of $18,000 and $6,000, respectively.

Lot #1 Original Portrait of a Man

Untitled / Undated / Unsigned

Pastel on Paper

25 ½ x 19 ¾ 

Condition: frayed along upper edge and left corners.

Custom Framed

Sold for $18,000

Lot #2 Original Afrique Lithograph

Undated/ Unsigned

(Pink, blue, and green abstraction)

25 ½ x 19 ½ 

Custom Framed

Sold for $6,000

What's Happening 
@ The Beck

Sign Up For Our E-Newsletter

“I think you’re right that we’re doomed to repeat tragedies until we all learn more from our history. More light needs to be shined on the history of our Black communities.”
Harrison Boyd, Knoxville, TN

Beck Museum

We Look Forward To Seeing You

History is the 
Great Truth-Teller

History Repeats

Lynching Scene
Beck is the Keeper of the Truth
Loki Mulholland

The Uncomfortable Truth

Truth Must Be Told
Watch
A Statement from Beck was issued after Mr. George Perry Floyd, Jr., an African American unarmed man, was killed after being publicly tortured for 8 minutes and 46 seconds by police in Minneapolis on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2020. 
Read Statement From Beck
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT BECK
 

NIKKI 
GIOVANNI
Author, Poet, Educator &
Native of Knoxville, TN

“I was so inspired by the stories and the history shared as well as all the wonderful work that Beck is doing. A very special day that gave me strength in our journey for racial justice.”
Felicia Gustin, Berkley, CA
“It is with hope for real change, I'm sending this check. Hopefully, we will begin to move toward justice."
Nancy Lindemer, Knoxville, TN
"We endeavor to be part of the solution and wish to partner with the Beck to do our part. Please count on us to provide support to all people of color facing cancer and in any other way that helps our community move forward.”
Beth Hamil, Cancer Support Community of East TN
"I had a wonderful time visiting the Beck Cultural Center! Thank you so much for sharing the wonderful black history of Tennessee.”
Shayla C. Nunnally, Ph.D., Manchester, CT

Over 200 Years of History & Culture

Maurice Franklin Mays

August 30,1919, the race relations climate in Knoxville took a bloody turn and the city became one of the “Red Summer” cities during a time when race riots were erupting all across the nation. Maurice F. Mays, a handsome black man born around 1887, was accused of murdering a white woman and Knoxville erupted in violence. 
Read More

What's Happening 
@ The Beck

Sign Up For Our E-Newsletter