Langston Hughes once wrote, "I learnt that the only way to get a thing done is to start to do it, then keep on doing it, and finally you’ll finish it, even if in the beginning you think you can’t do it at all." Whether Linda Salley was familiar with this quote is unknown, but it certainly reflects the way Linda spent her retirement from a career in education. Linda often told the origin story of AAMBC, when Harvey Spencer and Millard Mitchell came up with the idea of an African American history museum and invited other members of First Baptist Church of Langhorne to join them. Linda and her husband, Alonzo, were among a handful of others who volunteered for this new venture. She recalled looking around the room at their first meeting. She realized that, while there was a lot of varied expertise among the group, no one had any background in museums.  Undeterred, Linda and the other founders forged ahead, learning and growing as they went.  Just as Hughes outlined, they started, they kept doing it, and finally, they finished it, even if, in the beginning, they weren’t sure they could do it.  The seeds of an African American museum had been planted and were starting to take root.  A traveling museum would soon grow.

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When the original leaders of AAMBC passed away, Linda became the President and Executive Director.  Drawing on her background as an educator and administrator in New York City schools, Linda and the Board put together displays of images and artifacts on all aspects of African American history and, for more than ten years, took the show on the road, visiting schools, libraries, senior centers, and other institutions throughout the county.  

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In 2020, the Bucks County Commissioners offered AAMBC the opportunity to renovate a 1716 farmhouse, known as the Boone Farm, on Core Creek Park. A permanent home with a library and education center and exhibits that would make history available to many more people than the pop-up exhibits ever could?!  This would be a dream come true! No matter that creating a brick-and-mortar museum was a huge and totally unfamiliar undertaking;  Linda and the Board took a leap of faith, they started and learned along the way. “Keep going! We’re going to get there!” That was Linda’s mantra. And she was right.  AAMBC is going to get there. When the African American Museum of Bucks County opens in June, Linda’s dream will become a reality, and her love and passion will be evident throughout.

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Courage, determination, and faith made Linda a powerful force, but that was only part of Linda Salley’s essence.  Tall and graceful, with a beautiful smile and a voice tinged with Southern charm, Linda had a way of attracting and welcoming people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests into her life, making each feel respected, valued, and appreciated. A gifted quilter who used bits and pieces of fabric to create storytelling masterpieces, she viewed all of humanity through this same lens:  as equally essential and interconnected parts of a whole. She once wrote, “Every person I meet, every effort undertaken, every joy, frustration, hope, and sorrow — all are the material of the human experience. We each are a beautifully contrasting piece that our Master Designer keeps lovingly crafting into one exquisite quilt.

  

In her seventy-eight years, Linda touched countless lives who now mourn her loss and treasure her memory.  AAMBC Vice President William Reed expressed what many are feeling this week:  “It is with deep sadness that I acknowledge the passing of our Museum’s President, a woman whose vision, determination, and grace shaped every step of our journey. For more than fifteen years, I had the privilege of working alongside her—from the earliest days of a simple pop‑up exhibit, through years of steady growth, and finally to the unforgettable moment when we received the keys to the building that would become our brick‑and‑mortar museum.

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She was a leader who never faltered in her commitment to bringing a long‑overdue cultural vision to Bucks County. Her passion was unwavering, her standards high, and her belief in this mission unshakeable. Because of her, a dream became a reality.

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We honor her life, her legacy, and the extraordinary imprint she leaves on this community. Her work will continue to inspire us for generations.

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​~ Pat Mervine, AAMBC Capital Campaign Chairperson and friend

 

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In lieu of flowers, the Salley family has requested donations in Linda's memory to the Building Fund of the African American Museum of Bucks County.  

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