20 African America Museums in America You Should Visit!

Contrary to popular belief, Black History does not have to start on 1st February of every year and end on the 28th or 29th of February!

Every single day of the year, African Americans continue to contribute many milestones to American history than they actually get credit for. This includes milestones in politics, health, innovation, music, business and much more!

Unfortunately, much of these accomplishments go unnoticed by the majority. Not because the accomplishments of African Americans are any more or less significant than others, but because main stream media has always pushed and credited most, if not all, major human advances to Caucasians. Don't believe me, do a quick google of major human advances and see for yourself.

Now don't get me wrong. These accomplishments are significant to advance our world for a greater purpose. But a lack of inclusion of African American turns a blind eye to the many inventions that has made life a lot easier today.

Fortunately, there are many museums focused on African Americans to celebrate and document the many achievement that Black people have contributed to this world. 

This is why we feel it is important that you make your next visit to these African American museums in order to witness the greatness that is African Americans and celebrate our history and culture!

 

Here are 20 Black museums in America which celebrates and acknowledges Black history, culture and accomplishments!

1) California African American Museum (CAAM)

Location: Los Angeles, California

Opened to the Public Since: 1977

Focus: The Museum’s permanent collection is home to over 4,000 objects which include landscape painting and portraiture, modern and contemporary art, historical objects and print materials, and mixed-media artworks. It also houses artworks from the African diaspora and important works by African Americans from across the United States.

2) Slave Mart Museum

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Opened to the Public Since: 1938

Focus: This is the first African-American slave museum. Fittingly, it is often staffed by individuals who can trace their history to Charleston slaves. There is a lot to learn at the Slave Mart Museum, including an interview with a former slave that is fascinating. 

3) Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)

Location: San Francisco, California

Opened to the Public Since: 2005

Focus: MoAD is uniquely one of the few museums in the world focused exclusively on African Diaspora culture and on showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the people of Africa and of African descendant cultures all across the globe. Many who visit can explore and discover the culture, history, and art of people of African descent.

4) Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

Location: Detroit, Michigan

Opened to the Public Since: 1965

Focus: The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is home to the Blanche Coggin Underground Railroad Collection, the Harriet Tubman Museum Collection, and the Sheffield Collection—a repository of documents regarding the labor movement in Detroit—among many other notable materials, They house more than 35,000 artifacts pertaining to the African American experience.

5) The National Center for Civil and Human Rights

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Opened to the Public Since: 2014

Focus: The Center was was launched by former Mayor, Shirley Franklin. Since then, it has grown to become one of the few places in the world educating visitors on the bridge between the American Civil Rights Movement and the contemporary struggle for Human Rights around the world.

6) The Legacy Museum

Location: Montgomery, Alabama

Opened to the Public Since: 2018

Focus: The Legacy Museum uses unique technology to showcase the enslavement of African Americans, the evolution of racial terror lynchings, legalized racial segregation and racial hierarchy in America. This museum explores the history of racial inequality and its relationship to a range of contemporary issues from mass incarceration to police violence.

7) The George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center

Location: Tuskegee, Alabama

Opened to the Public Since: 1941

Focus: The George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center showcases historical collection of people and artifact of African descent living in Austin, Travis County, and the States. The museum has also been key in archiving information on the history and celebration of Juneteenth.

8) Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

Location: Jackson, Mississippi

Opened to the Public Since: 2017

Focus: The museum shares the stories of a Mississippi movement that changed the nation. It also promotes a greater understanding of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and its impact by highlighting the strength and sacrifices of its peoples.

9) National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Opened to the Public Since: 2004

Focus: The museum focuses on inclusive freedom from the era of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times in order to inspire others, create actionable dialogue, and equip modern abolitionists.

10) Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Location: Kansas City, Missouri

Opened to the Public Since: 1991

Focus: The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is the one and only museum dedicated to the celebration and the rich history of African-American baseball and the great advancement it had on America people.

11) Rosa Parks Museum

Location: Montgomery, Alabama

Opened to the Public Since: 2000

Focus: The Rosa Parks Museum is features life of civil rights icon Rosa Parks and the lessons of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This African American museum honors the legacy of Rosa Parks through dialogue, engagement, and social change.

12) National Civil Rights Museum

Location: 1991

Opened to the Public Since: Memphis, Tennessee

Focus: This museum is a must see as one of the nation's premier sites for culture and lessons from the American Civil Rights Movement. It is located at the former Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Visitors get a chance to walk through history this interactive museum to learn about his period of change.

13) Northwest African American Museum

Location: Seattle, Washington

Opened to the Public Since: 2008

Focus: The museum focuses on the African American experience via slavery in the Northwest, their journey and survival to the region. Recently, it has also turned its focus to immigrants arriving from places such as Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia.

14) Whitney Plantation

Location: St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana

Opened to the Public Since: 2014

Focus: Whitney Plantation exclusively focuses on slavery on the plantation. It takes visitors through the lives of African Americans who were forced to cultivate sugar and rice on this plantation from 1752-1865. It has sixteen original structures, including the Big House and two slave cabins.

15) National Museum of African American History and Culture

Location: Washington, D.C.

Opened to the Public Since: 2016

Focus: The National Museum of African American History and Culture is devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. The Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and has 100,000 member. 

16) International Civil Rights Center and Museum

Location: Greensboro, North Carolina

Opened to the Public Since: 2010

Focus: This museum focuses on the sit-in movement by the Greensboro Four and the thousands of college students and communities who fearlessly fought for their rights on 1st February 1960.

17) Muhammad Ali Center

Location: Louisville, Kentucky

Opened to the Public Since: 2005

Focus: The Muhammad Ali center is a musuem and cultural center dedicated to the great Muhammad Ali. This interactive museum takes you on a historical trip through the life of Muhammad Ali and the significant impact he had on the world.

18) Louis Armstrong House

Location: New York City (Queens), New York

Opened to the Public Since: 2003

Focus: The Louis Armstrong House Museum & Archives focuses on the legacy of Louis Armstrong by retelling his life story based on various collections in his house. The museum includes a vast collection of recordings, photographs, scrapbooks, instruments, and videos that all come together to piece together his life and legacy. The Museum seeks to educate and inspire people of all ages, origins, and locations.

19) Weeksville Heritage Center

Location: New York City (Brooklyn), New York

Opened to the Public Since: 2005

Focus: This landmark is dedicated to preserving one of America's many free black communities - Weeksville, Brooklyn. It focuses on the very history of African Americans in Weeksville, Brooklyn by activating their unique history through education, the arts, the civic engagement.

20) Lewis H. Latimer House

Location: New York City (Queens), New York

Opened to the Public Since: 2004

Focus: If you were wondering where and how the inventor of the light bulb lived, look no further. The Lewis H. Latimer House is dedicated to the life and legacy of Lewis Latimer, an inventory who played a key role in the development of the incandescent light bulb, the telephone, and the carbon filament. The museum shares stories through items in the house such as wall panels with photos and text, patent reproduction, poems, drawings, artifacts, furniture, and installations.

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