The first museum devoted to honoring and documenting historically black colleges and universities has opened its doors in Washington, D.C.

The HBCU Museum, located on Georgia Avenue, opened March 9, and it’s been attracting national media attention this week.

“Our goal is to highlight the accomplishments of not only HBCUs, but some of their most accomplished graduates,” reads the museum’s mission statement.

The venture is both family-run and mostly family-funded, museum executive director Terrence Forte told the Washington Business Journal. Both of his parents attended Howard University and, together, the family hopes the museum will serve as a point of education.

“We want to bridge the gap for those who might not know about historically Black college and universities’ stories,” Forte said.