urban historian Sherman Dylan Thomas is expanding his history lessons from social media to the museum.

He's got a new gig after Dusable Black History Museum as a brand ambassador and social media chief.

It's just one of his many projects from giving bus tours to giving TikTok lessons on the city's lesser known history.

Here with more on the new job is the urban historian himself Sherman, Dylan Thomas, welcome to Chicago tonight.

It's good to have you in studio.

>> Happy good to see you as well.

So what does it mean for you to be taking on this role at Dusable?

Because you called it sort of a dream job.

is certainly a dream job.

A full circle moment, right?

I was a kid wanted to solve with my parents and we need our having to if it's a south side to That's why depart from so that a lot of walking tours through news in and help bring a lot of foot traffic.

>> So saying appropriate for this I'm really excited to kind of help grow their audience in the social media space learn more about how museums >> So what is your vision?

you say your vision is for the role in only been on the job for like less than a month?

But how do you plan to sort of take what Dusable doesn't blend it with what you do?

>> Well, Apple find the stories of the Savile.

So that would be the first thing that we're going to do.

The second thing is to add a historical component right?

You know, if you were not here in the 80's, you don't know what was display at the dusable the 80's.

But I have access to archives and also to the special collection storage.

And then we can bring out those all artifacts social media posts on that.

We also want to be a connector.

I think here in Chicago, we should all have like these cultural institution bucket list.

And in order to call yourself a awesome Chicago, you need to have visited the Dusable visited the National Museum of Mexican American Art and Puerto Rican Heritage Museum on Swedish American Heritage Museum.

And a Polish American has resume some help them.

I would like a punch card and you know, will last special bank was from individuals who have visited all the cultural institutions.

And I think finally, just because most Amaya's on social media of a younger demographic will introduce the museum to that demographic and then they become our lifelong members.

And lifelong patrons certainly seems like also way as you've already been doing right to get younger people more interested in a museum because a lot of times you hear museum and you're like, that's >> something old.

People it.

But it sounds like what you can do is is to get more folks younger, know, going going be excited for Let's 62nd real on Instagram, right?

And hopefully that drives into the museum.

>> To see that thing, if in-person, there are a lot of getting sort of common narratives about Chicago that can focus on on tragedy, right?

these perceptions they have an impact on communities.

>> Very much.

So, you know this, the phrase that my sister to me could Johnson are trying to get people to stop saying and that's don't go right.

As soon as you kind of paint, a whole neighborhood with a broad stroke because of the singular incident, we're hurting economically.

You're hurting the ability for people to choose and neighborhood Sullivan and then what you're also doing if you're not thinking about putting the tax burden on one side of the city.

So if you're from the north side Chicago, you should certainly want to west South sides to do better.

And so we should be painting it as a negative space.

There's no such thing as a bad neighborhood in Chicago, right when we had to Nicholas Johnson along with her coauthor on the show several weeks ago talking about their book.

Don't Go in the stories that it tells.

>> Tell me a little bit about the work that you do and how how you work to combat some of those narratives.

One thing I saw on the bus every day is once you learn the history of a space, then your perspective should change about that place.

We have a perspective shift.

You're bound to have respect for that space.

And so what I do as a historian, what I on on my social media content that about the amazing historic stuff that comes from places like were right.

You know, over the world be without a person like one of Bronx and graduated from Inglewood high schooler.

Robyn Lawrence joins the first-ever black astronaut.

He grew up in Englewood, right?

You know, I want to teach about Mavis Staples and what she was doing in South Shore, but also the fact that Carla Hayden, country's first black lab run and Congress to enter school South Shore high school.

Right.

And so I think if you learned that you appreciate that and you can't help but to move better in spaces, we respect that.

>> New reminds me of a grandma's for a room with the plastic on it, right?

It was just a space.

You respected because you knew what it took for her to get their furniture.

Like you always say everything open.

America originated in Chicago.

I'm so despite all the popularity that you've gained through TikTok and through you to, you know, you still proudly for a while he held onto your your job.

It ComEd until changed.

And then, of course, it ended.

>> Why was it important to you at the time to to keep that position to them to be with comment and have that day job in addition to all of the history that you were doing.

Yeah.

still a little sad about that was that was pretty you.

What they did to the right is that that should be done.

Anybody.

Having said that, my dad and my grandpa, they all were jobs in 2030, years and they got to retire and they get that watch.

>> So part of that was was something that I wanted for myself that I built an amazing family.

A comment.

I was there for almost 14 years old.

So you used to it.

know there's in the building downtown that I haven't been in so that when find pride in the fact that I was part of the crew that brought power back to the Sears Tower, we lost power in 2018 are the amount of people I help save who are elevators track because the power went out and I go in and do my thing.

But the other thing is just to show an example of that, you can work hard and pursue your interests at the same time.

>> In and of course, you mentioned your your comment being sad about what happened your position changed to an office position from the area operator and then eventually let go from there we'll get call mostly just to be able to hear their side of it as well.

But I imagine doing this new job, though, it probably allows you to pursue your passion in a way that having very different kind of job didn't allow for.

Yeah, it is it aligns with my mission right now.

You know, being a brand ambassador for the Dusable Museum be able to tell their stories.

You know, I'm already telling Chicago stores already do a great deal of traveling, giving guest lectures and things of that nature.

And so to do that on behalf of the museum, kind of lines up with what I'm already doing, and it's a beautiful partnership that's going to.

>> If the both of our platforms and the work that we're doing separately was what we're going to call collectively.

>> How do you share your unique knowledge of history with the people on your bus tour?

As you just mentioned, a number of amazing ways.

Thankfully, the buses retrofitted with the technology.

So we're in front of the parking lot.

That's on 47th in Cane Drive can populate pictures of Regal theater.

I can tell you how that's a space where, you know, they discovered Jackson 5.

>> We also play archival video.

So gives people a chance to see what was that we see what was you are certainly inspired as to what is possible historic houses like Armstrong's house and were in Humble park taking to the side where Frank Bomb Row Wizard of Nowhere in McKinley Park.

will talk about, you know, Walt Disney's time at the high school.

>> So it is designed to not only that, the history will talk about some stuff that kind of stinks to write.

We go bad.

They can lots in south and West side.

We talked about the realigning.

You talk about the contracts that created vacant lots.

>> I have people count the amount of grocery stores.

They see all my tours so that way they visually recognize that, you know, a food desert from a spot that's not a food desert.

>> So you've done a lot of things, right.

And obviously you've just got this new job.

You've only been on it for about 5 But what's what we keep seeing you grow.

And so I'm curious about what's next for Dylan.

What what's the big?

What's the next big dreamer?

The next big thing you want So I would like to see my show.

You don't know.

Shy on some eyes network was having a lot of currently due to its on you, too, sir.

Please check it out.

I would love to see that on networks phase.

And I'm also having conversations with the people that Stephen look than others to kind of like Chicago history play.

>> Maybe even a Chicago history like the script is series a feature film.

But to be honest, I'm happy doing what I'm doing right now.

I love doing a bus tour is vital to anything else will live up to history people Chicago.

>> And I happy man alright, currently in the in the best place for it.

Nobody I'd rather spend last few days of Black History Month event with