Listings of African American history museums, organizations and publications.
Charles H. Wright Museum
This is the largest black history museum in the world, and offers exclusive exhibits and tours.
America's Black Holocaust Museum
This black history museum is dedicated to exposing the truth about racism and discriminaion.
Blacks In Wax Museum
This is an exhibit at a unique black history museum that features actual life-size models of black contributors.
African
American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation and Museum
This
museum, located just two blocks away from the memorial
in Washington DC, helps visitors understand the African
American's heroic and largely unknown struggle for freedom.
http://www.afroamcivilwar.org
African
Ancestry
This company can trace your ancestry back to a specific
present-day African country of origin and often to a
specific African ethnic group when African ancestry
is found.
http://www.africanancestry.com/
AfriGeneas
This web site has the ability to find and document the
last slaveholder and the first African in each family.
They provide the use of a system of genealogy for researching
African related ancestry.
http://www.afrigeneas.com/
AFSCME:
African American Labor History
Old news articles gathered
by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees. Offers insight to past workplace discrimination
issues faced by African Americans.
www.afscme.org/publications/12440.cfm
American Legacy Magazine
The premier magazine
of African American history and culture that brings
to light new stories of struggles, triumphs, and
accomplishments.
www.americanlegacymag.com
America's
Black Holocaust Museum
This museum educates the general public of the injustices
suffered by Africans and African Americans. Visitors
are provided with a tour that will rethink their assumptions
about race and racism.
http://www.blackholocaustmuseum.org/
Archives
Library Information Center (ALIC)
Provides staff and researchers ready access
to the background and context information necessary
to describe, organize, and access Black history resources.
www.archives.gov
Association
for Black Culture Centers (ABCC)
An organization that seeks to critically reclaim
and perpetuate the culture of people of African descent,
through networking, caretaking and institutionalizing
of Black and Multiculture Centers.
http://provost.ncsu.edu
Association
for the Study of African American Life and History
Promotes, researches, preserves, interprets
and disseminates information about Black life, history
and culture to the global community.
www.asalh.org
Black
CouTours
A destination planning service based in Chicago that
specializes in local and national tours focusing on
Black American Heritage, History, Culture, and Entertainment.
http://www.blackcoutours.com
Black
Heritage Foundation
A non-profit, charitable foundation whose primary purpose
is to support community-based organizations that promote
positive values, community service and aspirational
role models for the African-American community.
www.lusterproducts.com/foundation.htm
Black
Heritage Society (BHS)
This organization reserves and enhances
the cultural, educational, social, and economical
advancement of Black America.
www.blackheritagesociety.org
BlackHistory.com
Free online encyclopedia outlining African
American history and culture through people, places,
terms, organizations and more. This site also
allows users to interact with other through a
social networking platform.
www.blackhistory.com
BlackFacts.com
This web site offers a free online searchable
database of Black History facts. It also showcases
a "This Day in Black History" feature
that displays a timeline of events.
www.blackfacts.com
BlackPast.org
An online reference center that makes African
American history materials available, such as
digital archives, speeches, transcripts, and exclusive
research.
www.blackpast.org
Black
History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia
Statewide resource on the many facets of Black history
through exhibitions, discussions and celebrations.
www.blackhistorymuseum.org
Charles
H. Wright Museum of African American History
Based
in Detroit Michigan and located in the Detroit Cultural
Center, this museum is the world's largest institution
dedicated to the African American experience.
http://www.maah-detroit.org/
Discover
Black Heritage
Comprehensive
reference source for vacationers and business travelers
planning to visit U.S. and international locales and
landmarks rich in African and African American history.
www.discoverblackheritage.com
Encyclopædia
Britannica's Guide to Black History
An effort to trace the African American experience and
achievements in the United States and Africa.
www.britannica.com/blackhistory
Idaho
Black History Museum
This museum, one of few in the state of Idaho,
exhibits, provides educational and outreach programs,
and maintains a speakers bureau.
www.ibhm.org
Martin
Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
Commemorates the life and work of MLK by leading a collaborative
funding, design, and construction process in the creation
of a memorial to honor his national and international
contributions to world peace through non-violent social
change.
www.mlkmemorial.org
Museum
of African American History
Largest museum dedicated to preserving, conserving and
interpreting the contributions of African Americans.
www.afroammuseum.org
National
Great Blacks In Wax Museum
This museum is committed solely to the study and preservation
of African American history. Visitors report that this
museum is the most unique and dynamic black history
experience.
http://www.ngbiwm.com/
National
Visionary Leadership Project
Non-profit organization that creates tomorrow’s
leaders by recording, preserving, and distributing,
through various educational media, the wisdom of extraordinary
African American elders who have shaped American history.
www.visionaryproject.org
PBS
African American Lives
Documentary that journeys deep into ancestry of an all-new
group of remarkable individuals, offering an in-depth
look at the African-American experience and race relations
throughout U.S. history.
www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives
Sweet
BlackBerry
DVDs and books that bring little known triumphant stories
to life. Produced by Karyn Parson (Hillary from "Fresh
Prince of Belair"), the stories focus on African
American accomplishments.
www.sweetblackberry.com
The
HistoryMakers
Represents the single largest archival project of its
kind in the world, outdistancing the existing video
oral history collections of New York’s Schomburg
Library and the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum.
www.thehistorymakers.com
The
Root
A daily online magazine that provides thought-provoking
commentary on today's news from a variety of black perspectives.
This is an effort between Henry Louis Gates, Jr and
the Washington Post.
www.theroot.com
Tuskegee
Airmen, Inc.
A non-profit organization that honors the accomplishments
and history of African-Americans who participated in
air crew, ground crew and operations support training
in the Army Air Corps during WWII.
http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org/
National
Visionary Leadership Project
This non-profit organization records, preserves, and
distributes the wisdom of extraordinary African American
elders who have shaped American history.
This is done through various educational media.
http://www.visionaryproject.org/
White
House African American History Recognition
There is a dedicated area on the White House's official
web site that recognizes African Americans and Black
History Month. It features a proclamation by the president,
and video footage of his personalized message.
www.whitehouse.gov/history/africanamerican/
What
Is Black History?
Black
history is the discussion and consideration of African
American culture, heritage, treatment and accomplishments.
This can include a consideration of origins, slavery,
and inventions. Black history often includes a detailed
discussion of African history as well.
The subject of African American history has gained popularity amongst whites and other races in recent years, as The History Channel and other major television stations have made it more mainstream. For instance in 2008, CNN spearheaded an initiative to publicize the 40th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. MSNBC and other news networks joined in on the hype, and successfully made it a huge news story that was talked about for days. In addition to commemorations like this, whenever a major news story breaks that involves racism or discrimination - this tends to stimulates a nationwide discussion about slavery and civil rights.
Black history is important to African Americans for the same reason why other cultures appreciate their own heritage. Many take pride in the fact that their ancestors have suffered so much, but have paved the way to allow others to be successful. Blacks have long been discredited for their contributions to American society, but an analysis of their history proves otherwise. They are responsible for some of the world's most used technologies including the automatic traffic signal, the gas burner, railway air brakes, peanut butter, ice cream, and more.
How
Did Black History Month Come Into Existence?
In 1915, Carter G. Woodson co-founded and
financed the Association for the Study of Negro
Life and History. The organization published and
funded research projects about Black history. In
1926, he created Negro History Week - which evolved
into Black History Month in 1976. Today, Woodon
is referred to as the "Father of Black History." Now
February is the most celebrated and recognized month
of celebration around the world. For more details,
visit: http://usinfo.state.gov/scv/Archive/2005/Jun/08-276343.html
U.S. corporations spend millions every year expressing their support of the month, hoping to remain credible amongst Black consumers. Companies like Verizon, Wal-mart, and Alltel run extensive campaigns that include print ads, television commercials, and online advertising that honor African American history makers - living or dead. BlackHistory.com recognizes these companies through their annual report called the "Top Supporters of Black History Month" based on criteria of how compelling and creative the campaigns are.
Why
The Need For Black History Museums?
Black history museums showcase African
American experiences with visual details. Visitors
can see pictures, displays, and even actual artifacts
that relate to African American history and culture.
These museums are frequented by historians, school
kids on field trips, and others who may be interested.
Some museums feature original art, letters, clothing
and more that were a part of a well-known occurence.
Such museums play a huge role in keeping Black history alive. Many are well-supported by the community, and often receive funding and grants from local churches and organizations. Some, such as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington DC, receive federal funding from the government.
Although not museums, many states such as Arkansas, Maryland, and Missouri preserve sites such as the Underground Railroad and slavery camps. They use these to encourage people to visit their states. This is done through the state board of tourism, and is very influential is making sure that Black history is not forgotten.