We’ve handpicked a selection of museums across the U.S. that you’ll want to recommend to clients interested in exploring Black history.
National Museum of African American History and Culture, D.C.
In D.C., the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), part of the Smithsonian Institution, features exhibits on slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, arts, music, sports and more. Highlights include Harriet Tubman’s hymnal; Nat Turner’s bible; a plantation cabin from South Carolina; guard tower from Angola prison; Chuck Berry’s red Cadillac convertible; and works by prolific artists such as Charles Alston, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, and Henry O. Tanner.
America’s Black Holocaust Museum, Milwaukee
Milwaukee’s intimate America’s Black Holocaust Museum allows visitors to delve into the history of African Americans with a thought-provoking exhibit that stems from the pre-captivity of African Americans to the present. Founded by lynching survivor Dr. James Cameron, the museum’s goal, the director tells Recommend, is to initiate serious conversations “around systemic racism and equity.”
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit
One of the largest museums dedicated to African American history—with a collection of more than 35,000 artifacts and spanning over 125,000 sq. ft.—is the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. Here, visitors will find an array of exhibits, including the permanent And Still We Rise, which offers a comprehensive look at the history of African American resilience.
National Civil Rights Museum at The Lorraine Motel, Memphis
Head south to Memphis and you’ll find the National Civil Rights Museum, located at The Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The focus here is on the history of the Civil Rights Movement up to the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and its impact on today’s social issues. Currently, the museum is renovating its Legacy Building at the Boarding House exhibitions, which featured the King assassination timeline, investigation artifacts, and conspiracy theories around the plot to kill King.
Whitney Plantation, Louisiana
In Wallace, Louisiana, the Whitney Plantation, which operated from 1752-1975 and produced indigo, sugar and rice as its principal cash crops, is a historic site that preserves over a dozen historical structures. Its focus is to educate the public on the history and legacies of slavery in the U.S.
Black American West Museum & Heritage Center, Denver
Travelers heading west to Denver will find the Black American West Museum & Heritage Center, which focuses on African American who helped settle and develop the Western U.S. Here, highlights include the lives of Black cowboys, miners and pioneers.
Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco
Even farther west, in San Francisco, the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD). This space highlights Africans and African Americans globally through art, history and culture, with an emphasis on the diaspora’s influence on contemporary life.
