Compiled from his vast personal collections of memorabilia, books, magazines and model cars, trains, toys and dolls, the exhibition will be on display through March 6.

Inside his dioramas are shackled Africans on a slave ship, black cowboys riding among herds of buffalo in the Old West, black baseball players, football players and basketball players celebrating the glory of their games, and doll-sized images of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams.

The exhibits take students through the slave era, the Civil War, the jazz ages and the civil rights movement. They introduce famous African American authors, entertainers and historical figures such as Anita Hill.

One model of the "Arkansas Nine" features doll-sized figures entering Little Rock Central High School in the face of angry white mobs. In another exhibit, African American figures sit in a segregated room under a large sign reading "Colored Waiting Room."

Hardy's students are well-versed in African American history, and lead tours of the exhibition for their peers and for visitors from others schools.

Hardy said kids like the exhibition because it contains vivid images with items they can touch - toy stage coaches, horses, cars and people.

The exhibition is on display during school hours at Fruitvale Elementary, 3200 Boston Avenue. Visitors should check in at the front office before proceeding to the auditorium. For more information, call the school at (510) 879-1170.

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