Immerse yourself in the definitive story of African American resilience, labor, and culture in Maryland. These three permanent exhibitions reveal how individuals and communities navigated oppression while forging a new American identity.
Building Maryland, Building America
Discover the untold history of Maryland’s earliest Black residents. From the 1630s, African men and women arrived with long traditions and adaptable skills, transforming the physical and cultural landscape through their forced labor in shipyards, farms, and forges. This exhibit highlights their enduring resourcefulness and resilience, setting powerful examples of excellence for generations of Americans.
Strength Of The Mind
Explore how ancient African traditions in science, music, art, and rhetoric served as essential tools for survival against oppression. Witness the emergence of a unique African American culture forged through artistic and intellectual expressions that challenge society on the meaning of prejudice and equality, possessing a universal appeal that transcends Maryland’s borders.
Things Hold, Lines Connect
See the unbreakable commitment to family and community that defied enslavement and racism. Learn how Black Marylanders continuously built and renewed these vital bonds creating neighborhoods, social organizations, and churches in their powerful, long struggle for survival and self-determination. This is the story of a distinctively American community forged by mutual commitment.