Entreprenuer spotlight
This month’s spotlight goes to a Puerto Rican woman that saw a need to educate others on Puerto Rican Heritage and actually put in the work, she converted her home into a cultural museum. How awesome is that mi gente. The museum is named Tola’s Room which is inspired by founder & owner, Christina Delgado’s daughter, Omotola. Meaning child is wealth, one of worldly wealth. If you are ever in Baltimore make sure to add this spot to your list of must see but for now you can take a virtual tour here.
I asked founder, Christina Delgado, some questions to help give you a better idea of the concept and how it came about.
Is the museum in your house?
Yes, the home museum was my first home purchase that I made in 2006.
Do you actually live in the space?
We lived in the space the first year of the project. At that time the museum was the 1st floor, basement, and the detached garage (La Casita de Tolita). In June 2022 for our anniversary event we unveiled the entire home (all 3 levels) as the home museum & culture space, so we no longer live there.
How can people help your cause?
Following us on social media here, sharing our story with the PR community & any upcoming events, and of course donating money or time to help us grow. Currently, we run the space based on events, workshops, and private museum tours. Starting in July 2023 we will be open to the public on Wednesdays (11AM-7PM) and Sundays (12-6PM). We can use volunteers and donations to help with operations and programming. We are also focusing our attention on the Diasporican narrative here in Baltimore City. Our Bmore Boricuas Project is a series of curated workshops and events to gather the Disapsorican narrative of Baltimore in the form of oral stories and artifacts that will be added to the museum. So if any of your followers know or are local Boricuas that lived or are currently living in Baltimore City, we would love to know who they are!
How does your daughter feel about her Puerto Rican heritage and the creation of this museum? She’s proud to be afro-latina (Puerto Rican & Nigerian)! She loves the food and music (Bad Bunny of course). She knows alot about her grandpa (my father) and my father’s side of the family. She’s 11, so it’s hard to tell all that she’s thinking but she loves to help during all our events and as a creative herself, she’s always sharing thoughts and ideas about projects and the curation of the exhibits. She also loves that it’s named after her! She says we’re famous lol.
If you could only say one thing that would make people visit your museum, what would that be? Nuetra casa es su casa! We want people to find comfort, a sense of nostalgia, and a sense of home when they come to Tola’s Room.
May Is Mental Health Awareness Month
10 things you can do to help your mental health:
Go out for a walk.
Get some much needed sunshine.
Talk with a friend.
Write your feelings in a journal.
Paint- I’ve taken an interest in rock painting as a form of relaxation
Watch a tv program, just for a little escape.
Read a book.
Turn off all social media for a day.
Talk with a therapist.
Love yourself just as you are!
Make sure to always be kind, you never know when it will be just what someone needs! 💖
