BLACK IN TIME ONLINE RESOURCE CENTER FOR BLACK HISTORY & CULTURE
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The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History
 Lucy Craft Laney |  |
About Lucy Craft Laney Museum
The Lucy Craft Laney Museum is the only African American Museum in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA, Augusta and its Surrounding Areas). The museum, which opened in 1991, is a small house museum that was the former home of Miss Lucy Craft Laney. The museum is located in the Historic Laney-Walker District, near the original site of the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute. The mission of the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History is to promote the legacy of Ms. Lucy Craft Laney through arts and history. We accomplish this awesome task by educating and exposing children and adults of the CSRA, the State and beyond to the arts, history, literature and leadership through exhibits and programs.
The Preservation of a Legacy
Ms. Laney dedicated her life to providing educational opportunities for Black youth in the Augusta area. Ms. Laney was the founder of the
Haines Normal and Industrial Institute which was located on the present site of the Lucy Laney Comprehensive High School. She started the first kindergarten for Black children in
Augusta and founded the Lamar School of Nursing for Black women.
The Lucy Laney High School, Laney Walker
Boulevard (formerly Gwinnett Street) and the Laney Walker North Historic District have all been named in Ms. Laney's honor. Now through the restoration of her home by Delta House, Inc., another important cultural institution has been dedicated in her memory.The museum is open to all. Ms. Lucy Craft Laney has gone down in history as one of the state of Georgia's most influential educational leaders. As a child of Georgia she is in league with other outstanding Black heros from Georgia such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Leader and Dr. Henry McNeil Turner, the first Black chaplain in the U.S. Army and the first Black in the Georgia Legislature. Ms. Laney's contributions in the area of education are a tribute to perseverance, dedication and unwavering faith.
Birth of an American Hero
Ms. Lucy Craft Laney was born in Macon, Georgia on April 13, 1854, eleven years before slavery ended. She was the seventh of ten children born to Rev. and Mrs. David Laney. Rev. Laney was a noteworthy Presbyterian minister and an outstanding carpenter. Using the money he saved doing side jobs, Mr. Laney was able to purchase his wife's freedom and promise his children a better life.
Although, there were laws that prohibited Blacks from reading during Ms. Laney's time, with the help of Ms. Campbell, the slave owner's sister, Lucy was able to read by the time she was four. Ms. Campbell's generosity and her parent's open-arm policy with strangers and family taught Lucy the importance of giving and sharing. These lessons would be the foundation for her success. In 1869 at the age of 15, Lucy entered the first class of Atlanta University. In 1873, she graduated with three other students and went on to start a teaching career that would change the lives of an entire community of people and influence the nation.
Educating the Children of the People
Ms. Laney began her teaching career in Macon and Savannah before, due to health reasons, settling in Augusta, Georgia. With the encouragement of the Christ Presbyterian Church, USA, Ms. Laney started the first school in Augusta, Georgia for black boys and girls. The school opened on January 6, 1883 in the basement of the Christ Presbyterian Church then on 10 and Telfair Street with little money and only six students. Ms. Laney did not have much, but what she did have was dedication and determination, which would prove to be all this unique woman would need. In 1885, the first class was graduated from Ms. Laney's school. By that time, the school had 234 students and needed a bigger facility and more money.
A Lesson in Perseverance
Armed with a one-way ticket, only a little money, her prayers and her desire, Ms. Laney traveled to Minnesota to tell the Presbyterian Church Convention about her school and to request funding so that they could expand. Unfortunately, although Ms. Laney spoke well, she was unable to convince the Convention to commit to funding her school. However, they did pay for her return trip home. Ms. Laney was unsure how she would proceed from there, but knew that her mission was a good one and that her school would continue. Shortly after her trip to Minnesota, Ms. Laney received a letter from Mrs. Francine E. H. Haines, President of the Woman's Department of the Presbyterian Church, USA who had heard her speak at the convention. Mrs. Haines was so impressed with Ms. Laney and her mission that she was able to secure funding for the expansion of the school in the amount of $10,000.00. Ms. Laney was so touched by the kindness of this stranger that she named the new school the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute. In 1886, the Haines Normal School was chartered by the state of Georgia and moved into its new location at 800 Gwinnett (Laney-Walker Blvd.) Street.
A Modern Day Woman
Ms. Laney was a forward thinking person. She believed that the only way for blacks to be successful in America was by being well educated. She also believed that in order for the race to continue its women's must be educated as well. Ms. Laney's students studied the classics, Latin, Algebra, and various trades. Ms. Laney produced well-rounded young adults who also studied the arts and music and participated in sports. Ms. Laney assured that students who graduated from Haines Normal were ready to compete in society.
Caring for Her People
In addition to starting her own school, the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute, Ms. Laney started the first black kindergarten in Augusta, Georgia and the first black nursing school in the city, the Lamar School of Nursing. Many people were influenced by the work that Ms. Laney did at Haines. Ms. Mary McCloud Bethune who worked with Ms. Laney for a year was so impressed by Ms. Laney's accomplishments that she went back to Florida and founded Bethune-Cookman College for Blacks.
A Worthy Honoree
Throughout her life Ms. Laney received many honors. President Ware of Atlanta University paid many tributes to her and she receives several honorary degrees from various other colleges and universities. After her death, the Lucy Craft Laney High School was named in her honor, Gwinnett Street was renamed Laney-Walker Boulevard in her honor and that of Dr. Charles T. Walker, pastor, civic leader, founder of Tabernacle Baptist Church and co-founder of Atlanta University. There are several other schools throughout the USA that have been named in Ms. Laney's honor. In 1974, in honor of her contributions to Georgia and its children, the portrait of Ms. Laney was commissioned and unveiled in the Georgia State Capitol. After her home was restored in 1991, it was opened as the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History in an effort to continue to keep Ms. Laney's memory alive.
Her Legacy Lives On
After a life of selfless dedication to the education of her people Ms. Laney died on October 23, 1933 from nephritis and hypertension. However, Ms. Laney's spirit lives on and her strong legacy continues to this day.
Programs
Heritage Theater
The Lucy Craft Laney Heritage Theater presented staged readings of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright August Wilson’s plays. August Wilson, known affectionately by the theater community as the "Black Shakespeare", completed an award-winning canon of 10 stage plays looking into the lives of ordinary African-American citizens. Each play was set in a particular decade beginning with the 1900’s and ending in the 1990’s. The Heritage Theater presented Seven Guitars (1940’s); Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1910’s); Two Trains Running (1960’s); The Piano Lesson (1930’s); Fences (1950’s); Jitney (1970’s); King Hedley II (1980’s) and Gem of the Ocean (1900’s).
The Children's Academy
The Lucy Craft Laney Museum welcomes students (ages 6-16) throughout the CSRA to attend The Children’s Academy Holiday Camp. The camps facilitate a fun and family friendly learning environment and are designed as a cultural arts & history learning experience. The 1-day cultural exercise will focus on various creative disciplines, taught by active members of the local arts community. In December 2007 the children's Academy featured Colonel Pete Igel (retired) who taught students all about Philately and the hobby of stamp collecting.
Permanent Collections
The museum has six permanent collections: The Lucy Craft Laney Collection, The Ebony Legacy Collection, The Alice Davis Collection, The Charles Smith Collection, The African-American Quilt Collection and the Pilgrim Health and Life Collection. Annual and rotating exhibits are displayed at the museum throughout the year. The Events Calendar provides a list of upcoming exhibits.
*Click Here for more info on Lucy Craft Laney Programs
Important Links
Click Here for calendar of Events
Click Here for News Archive
Click Here for Museum Gallery
Click Here for Directions and Other Links
Museum Hours of Operation
Tuesday-Friday: 9 am to 5 pm
Saturday: 10 am to 4 pm
Sunday: open for special events and by request
Mondays: Closed
Fees: Adults $5 Seniors $3 Children $2
*Click Link
To Contact The Museum
References and Resources;
http://www.lucycraftlaneymuseum.com/index.htm
African American Cuisine Across The U.S.
Army & Lou's Restaurant
ARMY & LOU'S RESTAURANT - Chicago, IL
One of the oldest black-owned restaurants in the Midwest, Army & Lou’s Restaurant has been a Chicago institution for decades. Since 1945, this establishment has maintained quality service, food, and its original award-winning recipes. Old school dining ambiance with real tablecloths and very simple decor. Sit in some of the same booths Dr. King, Jesseand Harold Washington ate in (and strategized in) back in the day. More Info...
Army & Lou’s Restaurant
Address: 422 E 75th Street, Chicago, IL 60619-2202
Phone: (773) 483-3100
Website: www.armyandlous.com
Map & Driving Directions
AMY RUTH'S RESTUARANT- New York, NY
 | Amy Ruth’s has been feeding locals, tourists and celebrities the best soul food North of Mason Dixon line for years. No trip to New York would be complete without a visit to this famous Harlem Southern cuisine hub. Named after owner Carl S. Redding’s grandmother, Amy Ruth Moore Bass, this Manhattan soul food spot brings back memories of grandmother’s kitchen and famous recipes. More Info...
Amy Ruth’s Restaurant Address: 328 Lenox Avenue, NY, 10027 Phone: (212) 996-0660 Website: Amyruthsharlem.com Map & Driving Directions |
BUSY BEE CAFE - Atlanta, GA
Busy Bee Cafe
In a land where soul food restaurants seem everywhere, Busy Bee threatens to rule them all. The food is greasy, fattening, and utterly delicious- as soul food should be. Daily specials are available and yes, for all of you chitterlings eaters, they serve them seasonally. Fried chicken, neck bones, short ribs, smothered chicken, liver and onions, chicken giblets, pork chops, ox tails, catfish and tilapia are also available. More Info...
Busy Bee Cafe
810 Martin Luther King Drive S.W., Atlanta, GA
Telephone: 404-525-9212
Website: http://www.thebusybeecafe.com/
Map & Driving Directions
Busy Bee Cafe
810 Martin Luther King Drive S.W., Atlanta, GA
Telephone: 404-525-9212
Website: http://www.thebusybeecafe.com/
Map & Driving Directions
SWEET AUBURN BREAD COMPANY
Located in the heart of Atlanta’s historic Auburn Avenue, Sonja Jones’s Sweet Auburn Bread Company is a small batch from scratch bakery serving homey, southern-inspired desserts, breads and pastries. Home of the Sweet Potato Cheesecake … fit for a President. We love the German Chocolate and Red Velvet cake too! If you can’t make the trip to Atlanta, you can mail order some of these treats from the website. More Info...
Sweet Auburn Bread Company
Address: 234 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-221-1157
Official Website: www.sweetauburnbread.com
Map & Driving Directions
Sweet Auburn Bread Company
Address: 234 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-221-1157
Official Website: www.sweetauburnbread.com
Map & Driving Directions
Creole Restaurant & Jazz Cafe - New York, NY
Great Creole cuisine (Blackened Spicy Catfish, Gator Etoufee, Creole Stew Chicken, Blackened Shrimp Napoleon, Sweet Potato Beignets, and 20 Gumbo variations) by way of New Orleans. Live Jazz and R&B Wednesday through Sunday. Check website for cover charges, minimums and music policy. More Info...
Creole Restaurant & Jazz Cafe
201 E 118th Street
New York, NY
(212) 876-8838
Official Website
Map & Driving Directions
Creole Restaurant & Jazz Cafe
201 E 118th Street
New York, NY
(212) 876-8838
Official Website
Map & Driving Directions
B SMITH'S AT UNION STATION - Washington, DC
Stop by B. Smith’s in Washington D.C.’s historic Union Station for Cajun, Creole and Southern cuisine. Reliable house favorites include jambalaya; Southern fried chicken with buttermilk mashed potatoes; red beans and rice studded with andouille sausage, the “Swamp Thing” (seafood served over greens with a mustard sauce). Desserts are comforting, slightly dressed-up classics: coconut cake, warm bread pudding, and sweet-potato-pecan pie. Live, traditional jazz on Friday and Saturday nights as well as Sunday Brunch. More Info...
B. Smith’s 50 Massachusetts Ave NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 289-6188 Official Website Map & Driving Directions |  |
 Aruthur Bryan'ts Barbeque | Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque
Ribs, sandwiches, loose meat, brisket, if it’s barbecue you’re after, you’re in the right place! Always on any top-10 list of the greatest barbecue joints in the nation, Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque has been serving up slabs of slow cooked pork and beef at this location since 1958. Arthur Bryant’s has never strayed far from its unpretentious decor with formica tables, fluorescent lighting, and jugs of sauce placed in the windows. While Arthur Bryant’s is known for the full range of barbecue dishes, its acknowledged specialty is burnt ends, the flavorful end pieces of smoked beef brisket. Kansas City is famous for its barbecue, and this restaurant is one of the reasons why. Savor the food and enjoy your visit! More Info... Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue 1727 Brooklyn Avenue (Cross Streets: Between E 18th St and E 16th St)Kansas City, MO 64127 United States Phone: (816) 231-1123 Official Website Map & Driving Directions |
CAFE DE MONDE - New Orleans, LA
Located on Decatur Street in the French Quarter of the city, no visit to New Orleans is complete without stopping at Cafe de Monde , the “Original French Market Coffee Stand,” for their world famous beignets and a cup of Cafe Au Lait. The store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Closed on Christmas Day. Du Monde coffee stands can also found at various locations around town. More Info...
Cafe du Monde
800 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
United States
Phone: (504) 525-4544
Official Website
Map & Driving Directions
Cafe du Monde
800 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
United States
Phone: (504) 525-4544
Official Website
Map & Driving Directions
Selected African American History Tours
 | African American History Tour
Philadelphia is a city as rich in African American History as it is diverse in its culture. Step aboard an American Trolley Tour to enjoy and experience the history of the African American Community. Your group will enjoy the learning experience as told by a knowledgeable American Trolley Tour guide. Some of the things you will experience on this tour:
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Dr Bettye Bouey-Yates - South African Heritage Tours
The people of South Africa originate from a variety of countries, continents and environments, and have brought with them a range of fascinating customs and beliefs. For decades under the apartheid government, many of the cultural activities practiced by the majority of South Africa’s population were ignored or suppressed, or active steps were taken to eradicate them completely. The result was that African cultural activities were devalued in the eyes of the domestic tourism industry. More recently, with the growing demand by both foreign and local tourists for experiences of a cultural nature, cultural tourism has become a major growth point in South Africa, and today, with its nine provinces and eleven official languages, South Africa provides a feast of cultural experiences for even the most jaded traveller.
In keeping with this trend, the tours conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Bouey-Yates (Bettye Yates) are not your regular “Safari or Sightseeing Tours to South Africa”, but instead are designed as educational and cultural experiences. On these tours, you will be introduced to the many cultural disciplines that make up the complex society that is South Africa today. Dr. Yates has been introducing a uniquely cultural South African experience for American travellers since 1995.
The Itinerary Page details the programme that set departures follow, however they also offer tailor made tours to encompass any aspect of South Africa that your group may wish to experience. We operate both set departures (which follow the listed itinerary) as well as individual group requirement departures, so if you require your own group tour, then please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can put your own unique “South African Adventure” together.
*Click here for more info on South African Heritage Tour
The people of South Africa originate from a variety of countries, continents and environments, and have brought with them a range of fascinating customs and beliefs. For decades under the apartheid government, many of the cultural activities practiced by the majority of South Africa’s population were ignored or suppressed, or active steps were taken to eradicate them completely. The result was that African cultural activities were devalued in the eyes of the domestic tourism industry. More recently, with the growing demand by both foreign and local tourists for experiences of a cultural nature, cultural tourism has become a major growth point in South Africa, and today, with its nine provinces and eleven official languages, South Africa provides a feast of cultural experiences for even the most jaded traveller.
In keeping with this trend, the tours conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Bouey-Yates (Bettye Yates) are not your regular “Safari or Sightseeing Tours to South Africa”, but instead are designed as educational and cultural experiences. On these tours, you will be introduced to the many cultural disciplines that make up the complex society that is South Africa today. Dr. Yates has been introducing a uniquely cultural South African experience for American travellers since 1995.
The Itinerary Page details the programme that set departures follow, however they also offer tailor made tours to encompass any aspect of South Africa that your group may wish to experience. We operate both set departures (which follow the listed itinerary) as well as individual group requirement departures, so if you require your own group tour, then please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can put your own unique “South African Adventure” together.
*Click here for more info on South African Heritage Tour
Black History Tour – Savannah, Georgia Savannah, Ga., is rich in African-American history, with ports used in the slave trade and streets that led to freedom. African-American historical tours of the city illustrate how diverse cultures united, forming Geechee and Gullah communities, and map out important spots on the Underground Railroad. Visitors can take guided tours of historic landmarks or create self-guided tours, using Savannah's Visitors Information Center suggestions. Freedom Trail Tour Savannah's Freedom Trial Tour explores efforts to escape slavery. The tour begins at Savannah's Visitors Center and takes about two hours to complete. Tour conductor Johnnie Brown takes visitors to slave burial grounds, remnants of the Underground Railroad, places where slaves were bought and sold, and black communities where free people of color lived during slavery. Historic buildings on the tour include the First African Baptist Church, often called the oldest black church in North America. Tours are available daily; times change seasonally. Savannah's Visitors Center - 301 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Savannah, Ga. 31401 912-398-2785 Click Here for more info on Tour Drums and Spirits Savannah Tours' Drums and Spirits Mini-Bus Tour takes visitors to the sites of reported supernatural activities. These historic locales also were sites of civil unrest and death. Drumbeats accentuate the feeling of foreboding for visitors taking the tour. Tour guides relate folklore and superstitions in African-American culture as well as stories of root doctors, conjurers and herbs used as treatments. The 90-minute tour focuses on Colonial Cemetery and the area surrounding River Street. This tour takes place at 7 p.m. daily. Savannah Tours 888-653-6045 Click Here for more info on Drums and Spirits Tour Black Heritage Tour The Black Heritage Tour, presented by the Savannah Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, offers a three-day itinerary of suggested African-American historic landmarks. Day one begins at the Savannah Visitor Information Center and Savannah History Museum, where you can glimpse aspects of Savannah history from 1733 to the present. In the afternoon, you can visit the Civil Rights Museum, Beach Institute, slave burial grounds and Laurel Grove. On day two, revisit the museum and institute as well as the African-American Families Monument. Day three consists of a culinary tour of Savannah and the First African Baptist Church, a stop on the Underground Railroad. Costs vary, depending on places that tourists decide to visit. Savannah Area Convention Center 101 E. Bay St. Savannah, Ga. 31401 912-644-6401 Click Here for more info on Black Heritage Tour |  First African Baptist Church – Savannah, GA |
Houston African American Tours
They offer several distinct African American Tours. You could go on a different tour and see completely different sites. Each one includes a walking tour of a cemetery, going to historic churches, traditional African-American schools, community centers, hospitals, going to a traditional Freedmen's Town, restaurants, businesses, and folk art. Lunch can be arranged on any of these tours. Each tour begins with a 15-minute introduction that includes maps from the 1900s, and shows where the only African-American church was located at the time. The photo album has hundreds of historic photos. The history book as old slave records, a listing of every African-American city council person and mayor, a chronology of African-American history, and dozens of historic records from the 1800s.
Did you know that the first public school in Houston was for African-Americans? Come and see it. The tours are:
Tour A — Harrisburg and the Third WardThis includes a walking tour of the only preserved historic African American cemetery. It dates to the era of slavery and is probably the oldest Black cemetery in Houston. We also visit the Houston Negro Hospital, a former segregated school that still has "Colored" in its cornerstone, the Buffalo Soldiers Museum, Project Row Houses, the first African American park, a John Biggers mural in an African American community center, the third oldest African American institution of higher education in Texas, African American mansions in what was once the most affluent African American neighborhood in America, and more. Have lunch in an old mansion, a famous barbecue place, or another place of your choosing.
Tour B— 1st, 4th, and 6th WardsThis tour includes the former Doris Miller School, the site of the worst race riot in Houston history, Houston's third oldest housing project and site of the first African American hospital, the oldest African American church in Houston, Freedmen's Town, the future African American Library at the Gregory School, and more. See where Jack Yates preached, his home, and where he is buried. If you like, you can have lunch at a locally famous soul food restaurant.
Tour C — Acres Homes, Kashmere Gardens, and the 5th Ward This tour will bring you to some of the most distinctively African American areas of Houston. It includes driving by the current and past two Phillis Wheatley high schools, Evergreen Negro Cemetery, where the city paved a street through it, the former Peacock Records, Paradise North Cemetery, Julia C. Hester House, the childhood home of Barbara Jordan, George Foreman’s gym, the African American St. Elizabeth Hospital, the 2nd oldest housing project in Houston, numerous churches, elementary and middle schools, and colorful murals. See historical markers identifying Frenchtown and Zydeco Music. Lunch at a favorite bar-be-cue place.
Tour D — A Plantation and Independence HeightsThis tour will take you through a 1800s plantation that once had over 300 slaves for a guided tour and the first city in Texas established by African-Americans. The house is open to tour and one of the sheds may be a former slave quarter. You can enjoy lunch at a traditional African-American bar-b-cue or soul food restaurant.
Tour E — RanchesVisit three or four local African-American ranches. Learn of the contribution of Blacks in rural Texas as cowboys and owners of ranches. You might have an opportunity to see some roping and ride a horse!
Tour F — Tour of GalvestonThis tour includes seeing the homes of famous Galvestonians including the first heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson, and the 1800s civil rights leader, Norris Wright Cuney. See the historic Black cemetery where one of the founders of the Deltas is buried, churches, segregated "Colored" public schools, parks, and the hundred year plus homes of Black families.
Click Here for more info on these tours
They offer several distinct African American Tours. You could go on a different tour and see completely different sites. Each one includes a walking tour of a cemetery, going to historic churches, traditional African-American schools, community centers, hospitals, going to a traditional Freedmen's Town, restaurants, businesses, and folk art. Lunch can be arranged on any of these tours. Each tour begins with a 15-minute introduction that includes maps from the 1900s, and shows where the only African-American church was located at the time. The photo album has hundreds of historic photos. The history book as old slave records, a listing of every African-American city council person and mayor, a chronology of African-American history, and dozens of historic records from the 1800s.
Did you know that the first public school in Houston was for African-Americans? Come and see it. The tours are:
Tour A — Harrisburg and the Third WardThis includes a walking tour of the only preserved historic African American cemetery. It dates to the era of slavery and is probably the oldest Black cemetery in Houston. We also visit the Houston Negro Hospital, a former segregated school that still has "Colored" in its cornerstone, the Buffalo Soldiers Museum, Project Row Houses, the first African American park, a John Biggers mural in an African American community center, the third oldest African American institution of higher education in Texas, African American mansions in what was once the most affluent African American neighborhood in America, and more. Have lunch in an old mansion, a famous barbecue place, or another place of your choosing.
Tour B— 1st, 4th, and 6th WardsThis tour includes the former Doris Miller School, the site of the worst race riot in Houston history, Houston's third oldest housing project and site of the first African American hospital, the oldest African American church in Houston, Freedmen's Town, the future African American Library at the Gregory School, and more. See where Jack Yates preached, his home, and where he is buried. If you like, you can have lunch at a locally famous soul food restaurant.
Tour C — Acres Homes, Kashmere Gardens, and the 5th Ward This tour will bring you to some of the most distinctively African American areas of Houston. It includes driving by the current and past two Phillis Wheatley high schools, Evergreen Negro Cemetery, where the city paved a street through it, the former Peacock Records, Paradise North Cemetery, Julia C. Hester House, the childhood home of Barbara Jordan, George Foreman’s gym, the African American St. Elizabeth Hospital, the 2nd oldest housing project in Houston, numerous churches, elementary and middle schools, and colorful murals. See historical markers identifying Frenchtown and Zydeco Music. Lunch at a favorite bar-be-cue place.
Tour D — A Plantation and Independence HeightsThis tour will take you through a 1800s plantation that once had over 300 slaves for a guided tour and the first city in Texas established by African-Americans. The house is open to tour and one of the sheds may be a former slave quarter. You can enjoy lunch at a traditional African-American bar-b-cue or soul food restaurant.
Tour E — RanchesVisit three or four local African-American ranches. Learn of the contribution of Blacks in rural Texas as cowboys and owners of ranches. You might have an opportunity to see some roping and ride a horse!
Tour F — Tour of GalvestonThis tour includes seeing the homes of famous Galvestonians including the first heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson, and the 1800s civil rights leader, Norris Wright Cuney. See the historic Black cemetery where one of the founders of the Deltas is buried, churches, segregated "Colored" public schools, parks, and the hundred year plus homes of Black families.
Click Here for more info on these tours
The Maryland-National Capital Park
For more than 300 years, African Americans have raised families and built communities that have been vital to the growth and development of Prince George's County and its history. They have established neighborhoods and built physical structures, many of which survive in the midst of the county's ever-changing landscape. You are invited to take a visual journey to African American historic sites and buildings that offer guided or self-guided tours. Some sites are owned and operated by M-NCPPC, while others belong to other public and private owners. Sites on the tour range from a benevolent hall to churches, from an airfield to a ball field, and from historic mansions to a log cabin. They provide tangible evidence of the importance African Americans placed on family, religion, education, neighborhoods and community.
Use the information here to design a comfortably paced tour and develop a deeper appreciation for African American buildings, places and neighborhoods that have shaped the county. To learn more about African American sites and communities in Prince George's County, contact the
M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation's Black History Program at 240-264-3415 begin_of_th
Just Some of the Tours Below;
St. Mark's Methodist Episcopal Church
601 8th Street, Laurel, MD 20707
301-776-88
Since 1921, St. Mark's Methodist Episcopal church has served as a landmark within the city of Laurel. The history of the congregation dates back to 1891 when James Hebron and two other black Methodists purchased the land for the church. The frame of the church (Hebron Hall) sat across the street from the Laurel Colored School, which was constructed in 1884. Together the two buildings served many of the residents in Laurel's black community. A new building was constructed in 1921, and Hebron Hall was moved and converted into a social hall. The church was further expanded during the 1940s. St. Mark's has served an active congregation since its founding and represents the religious center of a long-standing black community.
Queen’s Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church Site and Cemetary
7410 Old Muirkirk Road, Rossville, MD 20705
301-937-7122
This is the site of the original Queen's Chapel, built in 1868. The original church was a small log chapel, and included a cemetery that was already being used by African Americans in the Muirkirk area. The original chapel has been replaced twice, most recently by a brick church that stands on the opposite side of the road. The construction of another chapel on an adjacent lot is currently planned. The site of the original chapel is now the cemetery of Queen's Chapel United Methodist Church. The oldest inscribed gravestone dates back to 1886.
Abraham Hall
7612 Old Muirkirk Road, Beltsville, MD 20705
301-454-17 tours by appointment
Built in 1889 for the Benevolent Sons and Daughters of Abraham, Abraham Hall is Prince George's County's most outstanding example of a late 19th century African American benevolent society lodge. This two-story, front-gabled lodge building has its entrance through paneled doubled doors, and a small kitchen wing. Over the years it has also served the African American community of Rossville as a temporary schoolhouse and Methodist church. Abraham Hall is owned and operated by M-NCPPC and is home to Black History Program staff. The site hosts exhibitions and is available for use by community groups.
Click Here here for more on Maryland-National Captial Park Tours
References and Resources;
www.americantrolleytour.com
www.yatestours.com
www.savannahga.net/tours/blackhistorytour.html
Drums and Spirits Tour
www.savannahvisit.com/groups/itineraries/black-heritage-tour
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com/africanAmerican.html#toura
www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/History/African_American_History_Tour.htm
For more than 300 years, African Americans have raised families and built communities that have been vital to the growth and development of Prince George's County and its history. They have established neighborhoods and built physical structures, many of which survive in the midst of the county's ever-changing landscape. You are invited to take a visual journey to African American historic sites and buildings that offer guided or self-guided tours. Some sites are owned and operated by M-NCPPC, while others belong to other public and private owners. Sites on the tour range from a benevolent hall to churches, from an airfield to a ball field, and from historic mansions to a log cabin. They provide tangible evidence of the importance African Americans placed on family, religion, education, neighborhoods and community.
Use the information here to design a comfortably paced tour and develop a deeper appreciation for African American buildings, places and neighborhoods that have shaped the county. To learn more about African American sites and communities in Prince George's County, contact the
M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation's Black History Program at 240-264-3415 begin_of_th
Just Some of the Tours Below;
St. Mark's Methodist Episcopal Church
601 8th Street, Laurel, MD 20707
301-776-88
Since 1921, St. Mark's Methodist Episcopal church has served as a landmark within the city of Laurel. The history of the congregation dates back to 1891 when James Hebron and two other black Methodists purchased the land for the church. The frame of the church (Hebron Hall) sat across the street from the Laurel Colored School, which was constructed in 1884. Together the two buildings served many of the residents in Laurel's black community. A new building was constructed in 1921, and Hebron Hall was moved and converted into a social hall. The church was further expanded during the 1940s. St. Mark's has served an active congregation since its founding and represents the religious center of a long-standing black community.
Queen’s Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church Site and Cemetary
7410 Old Muirkirk Road, Rossville, MD 20705
301-937-7122
This is the site of the original Queen's Chapel, built in 1868. The original church was a small log chapel, and included a cemetery that was already being used by African Americans in the Muirkirk area. The original chapel has been replaced twice, most recently by a brick church that stands on the opposite side of the road. The construction of another chapel on an adjacent lot is currently planned. The site of the original chapel is now the cemetery of Queen's Chapel United Methodist Church. The oldest inscribed gravestone dates back to 1886.
Abraham Hall
7612 Old Muirkirk Road, Beltsville, MD 20705
301-454-17 tours by appointment
Built in 1889 for the Benevolent Sons and Daughters of Abraham, Abraham Hall is Prince George's County's most outstanding example of a late 19th century African American benevolent society lodge. This two-story, front-gabled lodge building has its entrance through paneled doubled doors, and a small kitchen wing. Over the years it has also served the African American community of Rossville as a temporary schoolhouse and Methodist church. Abraham Hall is owned and operated by M-NCPPC and is home to Black History Program staff. The site hosts exhibitions and is available for use by community groups.
Click Here here for more on Maryland-National Captial Park Tours
References and Resources;
www.americantrolleytour.com
www.yatestours.com
www.savannahga.net/tours/blackhistorytour.html
Drums and Spirits Tour
www.savannahvisit.com/groups/itineraries/black-heritage-tour
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com/africanAmerican.html#toura
www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/History/African_American_History_Tour.htm
American Soul:
The DuSable Museum Of African American History
Chicago, IL
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The DuSable Museum's History
The DuSable Museum of African American History located in the historic Hyde Park area of Chicago at 740 East 56th Place (57th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue) in Washington Park unites art, history and culture.
Founded in 1961 by teacher and art historian Dr. Margaret Burroughs and other leading Chicago citizens, the DuSable Museum is one of the few independent institutions of its kind in the United States. Developed to preserve and interpret the experiences and achievements of people of African descent, it is dedicated to the collection, documentation, preservation and study of the history and culture of Africans and African Americans. The DuSable Museum is proud of its diverse holdings that number more than 15,000 pieces and include paintings, sculpture, print works and historical memorabilia. Special exhibitions, workshops and lectures are featured to highlight works by specific artists, historic events or collections on loan from individuals or institutions.
Chicago is a city rich in African-American History and the Museum is named for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a Haitian of African and French descent, who in 1779 established the trading post and permanent settlement which would become known as… Chicago.
Permanent exhibits at the DuSable Museum include: “A Slow Walk to Greatness: The Harold Washington Story,“ “Paintings / Drawings / Sculptures: Masterpieces from the DuSable Museum Collection,“ “Red, White, Blue & Black: A History of Blacks in the Armed Forces“ and “Africa Speaks.” Programming for families and children includes musical performances, film festivals, arts and crafts workshops, lectures, book signings, and special events.
The DuSable Museum remains a community institution dedicated to serving the cultural and educational needs of our members. The museums research, curatorial and educational divisions are committed to listening and responding to these needs, as well as the ever-increasing demands of art and cultural historians, and patrons nationwide.
Founded in 1961 by teacher and art historian Dr. Margaret Burroughs and other leading Chicago citizens, the DuSable Museum is one of the few independent institutions of its kind in the United States. Developed to preserve and interpret the experiences and achievements of people of African descent, it is dedicated to the collection, documentation, preservation and study of the history and culture of Africans and African Americans. The DuSable Museum is proud of its diverse holdings that number more than 15,000 pieces and include paintings, sculpture, print works and historical memorabilia. Special exhibitions, workshops and lectures are featured to highlight works by specific artists, historic events or collections on loan from individuals or institutions.
Chicago is a city rich in African-American History and the Museum is named for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a Haitian of African and French descent, who in 1779 established the trading post and permanent settlement which would become known as… Chicago.
Permanent exhibits at the DuSable Museum include: “A Slow Walk to Greatness: The Harold Washington Story,“ “Paintings / Drawings / Sculptures: Masterpieces from the DuSable Museum Collection,“ “Red, White, Blue & Black: A History of Blacks in the Armed Forces“ and “Africa Speaks.” Programming for families and children includes musical performances, film festivals, arts and crafts workshops, lectures, book signings, and special events.
The DuSable Museum remains a community institution dedicated to serving the cultural and educational needs of our members. The museums research, curatorial and educational divisions are committed to listening and responding to these needs, as well as the ever-increasing demands of art and cultural historians, and patrons nationwide.
Museum Projects:
 Museum Roundhouse | ROUNDHOUSE PROJECT
More than 47 years ago, the DuSable Museum began as a small gallery in the home of Charles and Margaret Burroughs. In 1971, the Museum moved to the original wing of the current facility. In February 1993, the Harold Washington expansion was completed. Now, a new phase, the addition of the Roundhouse; a 61,000 square foot expansion which when completed will create the first African American museum campus in the United States. The historic Roundhouse has humble beginnings. Built in the early 19th century by visionary architect Daniel H. Burnham, the building originally acted as a horse stable. Burnham supervised the layout of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and, in 1909, with help from his assistant, prepared The Plan for Chicago, one of the nation’s first comprehensive planning documents. In 2009, the Roundhouse will begin a new phase as a place that preserves and shares history. With a grand entrance, library, new galleries, ComEd Freedom Readers Club House, Nathaniel and Mallory Sutton Technology and Language Lab, educational space, special children’s areas and an expanded museum store, this new wing prepares the Museum to share history for countless more years. |
Museum Exhibits:
The Soul of Bronzeville: The Regal, Club DeLisa and The Blues
Exhibit Details Opening Date: June 23, 2009 Closing Date: June 27, 2010 Focusing on an American music tradition, the DuSable Museum presents the Chicago Blues Museum’s exhibition, “The Soul of Bronzeville: The Regal, Club DeLisa and The Blues.” Through instruments, original photographs, personal memorabilia, concert collectibles, music and moving footage, this exhibition, which, was curated by Gregg Parker, salutes Chicago as the home of many legendary musicians. Click the following link to read ‘The Soul of Bronzeville – Chicago Blues Museum and Record Row Foundation’ article, featured in the December 2009 edition of the Bronzeville Metropolis newspaper.. http://www.bronzevillemetropolis.com/chicago_blues_museum.html |  |
The Black Panthers
OPENING APRIL 23, 2010 - The Black Panthers: Making Sense of Histor
Exhibit Details
Opening Date:
April 23, 2010
Closing Date:
August 6, 2010
Cost:
Included with “General Admission”
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Party, The Black Panthers: Making Sense of History offers more than 50 historic photographic images that illustrate the history of the Black Panther Party. The exhibition explores one of the 20th century’s most controversial and inspirational organizations. The exhibition pairs rare Black Panther Party artifacts from the collection of the DuSable Museum of African American History, with signature pieces from the personal collections of Chicagoans.
Organized by Aperture Foundation
Exhibit Details
Opening Date:
April 23, 2010
Closing Date:
August 6, 2010
Cost:
Included with “General Admission”
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Party, The Black Panthers: Making Sense of History offers more than 50 historic photographic images that illustrate the history of the Black Panther Party. The exhibition explores one of the 20th century’s most controversial and inspirational organizations. The exhibition pairs rare Black Panther Party artifacts from the collection of the DuSable Museum of African American History, with signature pieces from the personal collections of Chicagoans.
Organized by Aperture Foundation
 | Tracing the Civil Rights Movement 1848 to 1968
Exhibit Details Cost: Included with General Admission When we think of civil rights in America, one often conjures up images of the modern civil rights movement starting the with the outcome of the 1954 Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas et.,al., which set legal precedent to end racial segregation in public schools through the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. However, the struggle for black Americans to advance and be accepted as full citizens began much earlier. From the anti-bellum era to the aftermath following the assassination of one of the movements most prominent figures, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Tracing the Civil Rights Movement 1848 to 1968 recaps salient moments of one of America’s most divisive and turbulent periods in history; the aspiration of African Americans gaining full class citizenship. Primarily developed from artifacts within its permanent collection, The DuSable Museum of African American History takes a look into the history of the civil rights movement spanning a 120 year period. Visitors will see numerous images of black life in America through historic photographs, objects including original civil rights protest placards and ephemera, Jim Crow era artifacts, objects of Massive Resistance, and period works of art. *Click Here for latest list of exhibits and to subscribe to the DuSable museum exhibit RSS feed |
Upcoming Events
Special Events
The DuSable Museum Associates Board & Gallery Guichard present ‘Artini’ Membership Mixer June 24, 2010 Closing Reception for 'Common Bonds' exhibit and DuSable Membership Drive
Movies in the Park June 26, 2010 Pack a blanket and/or chair and enjoy a movie under the stars on the DuSable Museum plaza
2010 Arts & Crafts Festival August 28, 2010 Calling all Artists ! Enjoy this matchless opportunity to share your masterpieces with a broad & rich audience of festival lovers.
Films
Movies in the Park June 26, 2010 Pack a blanket and/or chair and enjoy a movie under the stars on the DuSable Museum plaza
Penny Cinema 2010 July 7 through August 12, 2010 An assortment of exciting and educational films suitable for children of all ages, with a special admission price of ONE PENNY!
Black Panthers: Film Series - Part II July 10, 2010 “Black Panthers: Making Sense of History” – Film Marathon
Movies with a Mission presents ‘New Muslim Cool’ July 11, 2010 Join the Sankofa Spirit team and DuSable Museum as we present dynamic films, followed by insightful dialogue with the audience.
*Click Here for latest list of events and to subscribe to the DuSable museum events RSS feed
Education:
The mission of the DuSable Museum Department of Education is to expose students and teachers to new ideas as they explore African American history and art. They encourage critical thinking and creativity. Visit the following pages for more information:
Educational Programs Learn about programs in the African Diaspora Children Series.
Lesson Plans Download lesson plans and worksheets for students. Also view a list of suggested vocabulary to teach students prior to visiting the museum.
Teacher Resources Learn about programs and curriculum offered by DuSable Museum’s Department of Education.
Educational Council DuSable’s Museum Educational Council meets monthly to assist in planning educational programs, curriculum, and classroom activities.
Important Links;
Museum News
Host An Event
Donate
Museum Store
Museum Admission and Location Info
*Source:
www.dusablemuseum.org
740 East 56th Place
Chicago, Illinois 60637
Phone: 773-947-0600
"I'VE BEEN TO THE MOUNTAIN TOP" Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered this speech in support of the striking sanitation workers at Mason Temple in Memphis, TN on April 3, 1968 — the day before he was assassinated. |
The King Center In Atlanta, Georgia
 |  |
Who Is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin.
His grandfather began the family's long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor.
Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated.
After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951,
With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family.
At the age of thirty-five, in 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.
On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.
His grandfather began the family's long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor.
Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated.
After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951,
With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family.
At the age of thirty-five, in 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.
On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.
Some Of Dr. King's Accomplishments
 | African American clergyman; ordained at 18 as a Baptist minister
1964 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Among Principal leaders of the Civil rights Movement. Advocate for direct action nonviolent protest. Challenged segregation and racial discrimination in the 1950s and 1960s. King became a symbol of protest in the struggle for racial justice. Husband to Coretta Scott-King; together they were parents to daughters: Yolanda, Bernice and sons: Martin III and Dexter. |
Historic March On Washington, DC
&
The "I Have A Dream" Speech
August 28, 1963, King delivered the keynote address to an audience of more than 200,000 civil rights supporters, his "I have A Dream" speech expressed the hopes of the Civil Rights Movement and continued to build the momentum which led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited segregation public accommodations as well as discrimination in education, housing and employment.
The King Center - A GREAT PLACE To Visit
Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, The King Center is the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of America’s greatest nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace.
More than one million visitors from all over the world are drawn annually to the King Center to pay homage to Dr. King, view unique exhibits illustrating his life and teachings and visit the King Center’s Library & Archives, his final resting place, his birth home, Bookstore and Resource Center, and other Facilities. Located in Atlanta’s Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, The King Center utilizes diverse communications media, including books, audio and video cassettes, film, television, CDs, DVDs and web pages, to reach out far beyond its physical boundaries to educate people all over the world about Dr. King’s life, work and his philosophy and methods of nonviolent conflict-reconciliation and social change.
With your support, The King Center will make a major contribution to preparing coming generations of Dr. King’s followers to carry forward his unfinished work into the new millennium.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for nonviolent social change is dedicated to research, education and training in the principles, philosophy and methods of Kingian nonviolence.
More than one million visitors from all over the world are drawn annually to the King Center to pay homage to Dr. King, view unique exhibits illustrating his life and teachings and visit the King Center’s Library & Archives, his final resting place, his birth home, Bookstore and Resource Center, and other Facilities. Located in Atlanta’s Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, The King Center utilizes diverse communications media, including books, audio and video cassettes, film, television, CDs, DVDs and web pages, to reach out far beyond its physical boundaries to educate people all over the world about Dr. King’s life, work and his philosophy and methods of nonviolent conflict-reconciliation and social change.
With your support, The King Center will make a major contribution to preparing coming generations of Dr. King’s followers to carry forward his unfinished work into the new millennium.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for nonviolent social change is dedicated to research, education and training in the principles, philosophy and methods of Kingian nonviolence.
Programs and Activities
April 4th Youth Commemorative Service On April 4, 2008, the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King, The King Center cosponsored the 40th Anniversary Youth Commemorative Service, bringing together more than 2,000 high school and college students in the King Historic Site, where they received introductory training in Dr. King’s philosophy and strategy of nonviolence and pledged their personal commitments to Kingian nonviolence as a way of life. The Keynote Speaker was Elder Bernice King, the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott King. |  |
The Six Steps of Nonviolence
SIX STEPS OF NONVIOLENT SOCIAL CHANGE- A sequential process of nonviolent conflict-resolution and social change based on Dr. King’s teachings. The Six Steps of Nonviolence developed by The King Center include:
(1.) Information gathering and research to get the facts straight
(2.) Education of adversaries and the public about the facts of the dispute
(3.) Personal Commitment to nonviolent attitudes and action
(4.) Negotiation with adversary in a spirit of goodwill to correct injustice
(5.) Nonviolent direct action, such as marches, boycotts, mass demonstrations, picketing, sit-ins etc., to help persuade or compel adversary to work toward dispute-resolution
(6.) Reconciliation of adversaries in a win-win outcome in establishing a sense of community.
The Triple Evils (Racism, Poverty, and War)
Triple Evils
The Triple Evils of POVERTY, RACISM and WAR are forms of violence that exist in a vicious cycle. They are interrelated, all-inclusive, and stand as barriers to our living in the Beloved Community. When we work to remedy one evil, we affect all evils. The issues change in accordance with the political and social climate of our nation and world. Some contemporary manifestations are in italics below:
POVERTY - materialism, unemployment, homelessness, hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, infant mortality, slums…
"There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we now have the resources to get rid of it. The time has come for an all-out world war against poverty ... The well off and the secure have too often become indifferent and oblivious to the poverty and deprivation in their midst. Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for 'the least of these."
RACISM - prejudice, apartheid, anti-Semitism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia, ageism, discrimination against differently abled, stereotypes...
"Racism is a philosophy based on a contempt for life. It is the arrogant assertion that one race is the center of value and object of devotion, before which other races must kneel in submission. It is the absurd dogma that one race is responsible for all the progress of history and alone can assure the progress of the future. Racism is total estrangement. It separates not only bodies, but minds and spirits. Inevitably it descends to inflicting spiritual and physical homicide upon the out-group."
WAR - militarism, imperialism, domestic violence, rape, terrorism, media violence, drugs, child abuse...
"A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war- 'This way of settling differences is not just.' This way of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
To work against the Triple Evils, you need to: develop a nonviolent frame of mind as described in the "Six Principles of Nonviolence" and use the Kingian model for social action outlined in the "Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change.”
Source: "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Boston: Beacon Press, 1967.
SIX STEPS OF NONVIOLENT SOCIAL CHANGE- A sequential process of nonviolent conflict-resolution and social change based on Dr. King’s teachings. The Six Steps of Nonviolence developed by The King Center include:
(1.) Information gathering and research to get the facts straight
(2.) Education of adversaries and the public about the facts of the dispute
(3.) Personal Commitment to nonviolent attitudes and action
(4.) Negotiation with adversary in a spirit of goodwill to correct injustice
(5.) Nonviolent direct action, such as marches, boycotts, mass demonstrations, picketing, sit-ins etc., to help persuade or compel adversary to work toward dispute-resolution
(6.) Reconciliation of adversaries in a win-win outcome in establishing a sense of community.
The Triple Evils (Racism, Poverty, and War)
Triple Evils
The Triple Evils of POVERTY, RACISM and WAR are forms of violence that exist in a vicious cycle. They are interrelated, all-inclusive, and stand as barriers to our living in the Beloved Community. When we work to remedy one evil, we affect all evils. The issues change in accordance with the political and social climate of our nation and world. Some contemporary manifestations are in italics below:
POVERTY - materialism, unemployment, homelessness, hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, infant mortality, slums…
"There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we now have the resources to get rid of it. The time has come for an all-out world war against poverty ... The well off and the secure have too often become indifferent and oblivious to the poverty and deprivation in their midst. Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for 'the least of these."
RACISM - prejudice, apartheid, anti-Semitism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia, ageism, discrimination against differently abled, stereotypes...
"Racism is a philosophy based on a contempt for life. It is the arrogant assertion that one race is the center of value and object of devotion, before which other races must kneel in submission. It is the absurd dogma that one race is responsible for all the progress of history and alone can assure the progress of the future. Racism is total estrangement. It separates not only bodies, but minds and spirits. Inevitably it descends to inflicting spiritual and physical homicide upon the out-group."
WAR - militarism, imperialism, domestic violence, rape, terrorism, media violence, drugs, child abuse...
"A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war- 'This way of settling differences is not just.' This way of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
To work against the Triple Evils, you need to: develop a nonviolent frame of mind as described in the "Six Principles of Nonviolence" and use the Kingian model for social action outlined in the "Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change.”
Source: "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Boston: Beacon Press, 1967.
Message From Dexter Scott King - Chairman & CEO:
KING CENTER
The King Center seeks to create the Beloved Community that my father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so eloquently described in his speeches, sermons, and writings and practiced in his leadership of the Civil Rights, peace, and anti-poverty Movements. It is also a living reflection of the leadership of my mother, Coretta Scott King, who founded the King Center. The King Center embraces my parents' vision of a world where nonviolence is a way of life. My father pointed out that nonviolence means more than the absence of physical violence. Nonviolence is not passive, but a courageous, active resistance to injustice. It is a way of life reflected in thought and deed, a method of conducting yourself in all of your affairs.
Some Important Links
King Center Donations
King Center Contact Info
Meaning of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
King Center News
Sources;
www.thekingcenter.org
449 Auburn Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30312-1590
(404) 526-8900
King Center Donations
King Center Contact Info
Meaning of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
King Center News
Sources;
www.thekingcenter.org
449 Auburn Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30312-1590
(404) 526-8900
 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. |
THE NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
Memphis, Tennessee
HISTORY OF THE LORRAINE MOTEL
Originally named the Windsor Hotel c. 1925
Renamed Marquette Hotel in 1945 and offered for sale
The Lorraine became one of only a few hotels to which African American travelers could enjoy overnight accommodations while traveling during this segregated period leading up to the late 1960s in America.
Under the Bailey’s ownership there were at least two major additions to the hotel. The first addition added a second floor and 12 rooms to the hotel while the next addition created even more guest rooms and drive up access. This change converted the Lorraine Hotel into a motel.
· Guests of the Lorraine, both black and white, returned time and again for its upscale atmosphere, home cooked meals, including bar-b-que, affordable prices, and its reputation as a clean and safe environment.
· Song writers and musicians working with the Stax Records Company were frequent residents of the Lorraine. Recording stars Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin, Ethel Waters, Otis Redding, The Staple Singers and Wilson Picket were among the many that stayed in the Lorraine during the heyday of the late 1950s- early 1960s.
· Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stayed at the Lorraine Motel numerous times. He was a guest of the Lorraine when he came to Memphis in 1968 in support of striking sanitation workers.
· The Lorraine Motel is designated an historic site by the Tennessee Historical Commission.
Under the Bailey’s ownership there were at least two major additions to the hotel. The first addition added a second floor and 12 rooms to the hotel while the next addition created even more guest rooms and drive up access. This change converted the Lorraine Hotel into a motel.
· Guests of the Lorraine, both black and white, returned time and again for its upscale atmosphere, home cooked meals, including bar-b-que, affordable prices, and its reputation as a clean and safe environment.
· Song writers and musicians working with the Stax Records Company were frequent residents of the Lorraine. Recording stars Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin, Ethel Waters, Otis Redding, The Staple Singers and Wilson Picket were among the many that stayed in the Lorraine during the heyday of the late 1950s- early 1960s.
· Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stayed at the Lorraine Motel numerous times. He was a guest of the Lorraine when he came to Memphis in 1968 in support of striking sanitation workers.
· The Lorraine Motel is designated an historic site by the Tennessee Historical Commission.
HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
The National Civil Rights Museum was birthed out of the success of the civil rights movement and the tragic violence that occurred at the Lorraine Motel, taking the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
·The aftershock of the assassination on April 4, 1968 eventually plunged the Lorraine into a long and steep decline. The motel’s owner, Walter Lane Bailey maintained two rooms – Rooms 306 & 307 - as a shrine to Dr. King and in memory of his wife Loree who died days after the assassination.
·Realizing the symbolic significance of the Lorraine, Mr. Bailey reached out for help to maintain the property as a civil rights shrine. He reached out to Mr. Chuck Scruggs, program director of local radio station WDIA radio and the Save The Lorraine campaign was born.
A group of prominent Memphians, concerned that this historical site would be destroyed through continued neglect and indifference, formed the Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation and in 1984 changed its name to the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation.
·Under the leadership of local attorney and activist, D’Army Bailey, the Foundation raised enough money to purchase the property on the courthouse steps at a public auction for $144,000.
Using a design report by former Smithsonian Institution curator, Benjamin Lawless, the Foundation moved forward to create the educational facility and memorial site that today is the National Civil Rights Museum.
·The Museum was dedicated on July 4, 1991 and officially opened to the public on Sept. 28, 1991. Since opening the museum records more than 5 million to the site.
In 1999 the Museum acquired properties facing it, the former Canipe’s Amusement store and rooming house, which were an integral part of Dr. King’s assassination investigation. In 1968, James Earl Ray stayed in the rooming house.
·The museum became custodian of the police and evidence files associated with the manhunt, indictment and confession of the assassin of Dr. King. This transfer affords the National Civil Right Museum the distinction of being the first museum of its kind to receive evidence materials and court documents connected with a criminal case into its collection holdings.
·Opened to the public on Sept. 28, 2002, Exploring the Legacy, is a 12,800 sq. ft. expansion project aimed at addressing three key questions: 1) Did the Movement die with Dr. King? 2) Was James Earl Ray the assassin? and, 3) What is the legacy of the movement
 | MUSEUM RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS & TEACHERS
Students The National Civil Rights Museum invites students young and old to explore and learn more about the struggle for freedom and justice around the world. Click Here - you will find links to civil and human rights organizations around the globe and a bibliography of youth literature. You can also check out the E-Learning course before the boycott, where you’re a school newspaper reporter assigned to ride the Montgomery bus system in 1955. Teachers Click Here – you’ll find The National Civil Rights Museum is committed to providing educators with resources and materials to aid them in teaching the struggle for freedom and justice to today’s students. Here you will find links to e-Learning activities, the NCRM Teacher’s Curriculum Guide, worksheets, primary source analysis guides, scavenger hunts, and much more…. |
EXPERIENCE THE NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
Permanent Exhibits
The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel, the assassination site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,chronicles key episodes of the American civil rights movement and the legacy of this movement to inspire participation in civil and human rights efforts globally, through the museums collections, exhibitions, and educational programs. To see slideshow of the National Civil Rights Museum, Click Here!
Temporary Exhibits
Woman of Yesterday, Woman of Today
May 1 - 31, 2010
Part of the Memphis in May Celebration, "Woman of Yesterday, Woman of Today" presents a documentary selection from the archaeological exhibition "Tunisian woman through the ages" organized in 1997. Through this exhibition, Tunisia pays tribute to all its women, those whose fame ensured that history remembered them and those whose names have not been recorded by history but who have given birth, nourished, built and remodeled the country.
Facility Rentals
The National Civil Rights Museum is a national treasure, which brings to life the most significant epoch of American History. This beautiful and historic site offers an elegant, yet stimulating environment for special events. Their unique facility offers a newly renovated, state of the art auditorium and banquet room, as well as a conference room.
The Museum is a perfect one of a kind venue that may be rented for special events of all types.
The National Civil Rights Museum is the ideal site for your next:
- Convention/corporate reception
- Business meeting
- Holiday party
- Class/Family reunion and much more
Group Tours
No trip to Memphis would be complete without a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum – a one-of-a-kind excursion for school, church and tour groups, family reunions, corporate outings, business meetings, receptions, and more.
Groups of 20 or more (with at least two week’s notification of your visit) qualify for a reduction in admission price. See General Group Guidelines below for more information.
After your tour, you are encouraged to visit the Museum’s Café and Gift Shop, where you’ll find many unique, one-of-a-kind items related to African-American culture and heritage, and the American civil rights movement.
General Group Guidelines
No trip to Memphis would be complete without a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum – a one-of-a-kind excursion for school, church and tour groups, family reunions, corporate outings, business meetings, receptions, and more.
Groups of 20 or more (with at least two week’s notification of your visit) qualify for a reduction in admission price. See General Group Guidelines below for more information.
After your tour, you are encouraged to visit the Museum’s Café and Gift Shop, where you’ll find many unique, one-of-a-kind items related to African-American culture and heritage, and the American civil rights movement.
General Group Guidelines
- Group rates apply for 20 or more people
- Group tour reservations must be booked at least two weeks in advance to qualify for a group discount*
- Unscheduled groups arriving without a prior reservation are not eligible for the special discount rate
- Complimentary tickets provided for tour escorts and bus drivers
- Special student group rates are available.
- Free motor coach parking is available
- The average length of the tour is 2 to 2 ½ hours
GET INVOLVED
Become a Member
Basic Benefits:
- One Year Admission for Each Adult
- Membership Card(s) for One Year Admission
- Invitations to Exhibition Openings, Lectures, Workshops and Special Events
- 10% Discounts in the Museum Cafe and Gift Shop
- Subscription to the Museum's Quarterly Newsletter "The Movement" and Monthly Member E-Newsletter
- Invitation to Annual Members Reception.
Your support of the museum helps operate and maintain a world-class museum that provides a unique and exceptional experience for museum visitors, supporters and partners while developing strong and innovative educational curricula and programs for diverse audiences that are relevant and engaging with an impact on the museums global community.
Commemorative Brick Program
This program provides supporters of the Museum with the opportunity to purchase a brick and leave their legacy at this historic site.
Contributions
The National Civil Rights Museum invites you to honor your loved ones by making a contribution in the form of an Honorarium, Memorial Gift or Anniversary Tribute
Click here for more info on items above
Volunteer/Intern
Volunteer Opportunities at the National Civil Rights Museum
- Opening receptions for New Exhibits to the Museum
- King Day - Click here to volunteer
- April 4th Celebrations
- Freedom Award
- Departmental Aids
- Weekend Assistance as NCRM Greeters and Hostess/Host
- And many, many more!
National Civil Rights Museum – Contact/Location/Hours/Admission
Contact Info:
National Civil Rights Museum
450 Mulberry Street
Memphis, TN 38103
Email: tray@civilrightsmuseum.org
Phone: (901) 521-9699
Fax: (901) 521-9740
Hours of Operation:
Closed EVERY Tuesday
Monday-Saturday
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
* Free Period on Mondays (see below):
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
*Free Period Policy:
As The National Civil Rights Museum’s Community Commitment, they offer free admission each Monday from 3 p.m. until closing for Tennessee residents with state issued identification. Not applicable for tour groups & operators. This offer is not valid during holidays and special events.
Summer Hours ( June – August)
Closed on Tuesdays
Monday-Saturday
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Free Period (Mondays):
3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday
1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
The museum is closed on the following holidays:
Easter Sunday
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
New Year’s Day
*Admission:
Adults $13.00
Seniors $11.00
Students w/id $11.00
Children 4-17 years $9.50
3 and under Free
Members Free
Free Period Mondays after 3 p.m.
Click Here! - For more information on hours and admission
*Sources;
http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org
The STAX MUSEUM Of AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
In
Memphis, Tennessee
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ABOUT THE MUSEUM & IT'S MISSION
The story of Stax Records is one of a cultural phenomenon that changed the culture of music forever - locally, nationally, and internationally. The success of Stax was perhaps, as Steve Cropper has said, "an accident. Many factors were involved with the success of Stax."
What began as a tiny record store in an old movie theater at the corner of McLemore Avenue and College Street in Memphis, Tennessee, grew to become one of the most important music recording studios in the world. When the modest Capitol Theater in the heart of Soulsville USA was transformed into Stax Records in 1959, it began launching the careers of unknowns who would become icons, cranking out a massive catalog of smash soul hits by the likes of Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, Wilson Pickett, Luther Ingram, Albert King, the Bar-Kays, Booker T. & the MG's, Johnnie Taylor, Rufus and Carla Thomas, and dozens of other artists whose influence remains vital in the music of today. On its many and varied labels, Stax Records also recorded such legends as Big Star, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bill Cosby, Moms Mabley, and the Grammy-winning comedic genius Richard Pryor.
Today, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, located at the original site of Stax Records, pays tribute to all of the artists who recorded there with a rare and amazing collection of more than 2,000 interactive exhibits, films, artifacts, items of memorabilia, and galleries designed to keep Stax alive forever. Because it is the only soul music museum in the world, it also spotlights America's other major soul music pioneers, including the sounds of Muscle Shoals, Motown, Hi, and Atlantic Records, spotlighting the contributions of such soul pioneers as Ike & Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, The Jackson Five, Ann Peebles, Al Green, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles, and many others.
STAX - SOULSVILLE USA
For many years, the Memphis neighborhood known as Soulsville USA was a bustling and thriving community where a young grocery sacker named David Porter became one of Stax Records' most famous songwriters, where Aretha Franklin was born and sang in her father's Metropolitan Baptist Church until moving to Detroit at age eight, where Calvin and Phinneas Newborn honed their jazz skills, where Al Green recorded his super hits of the 1970s at Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios, where Maurice White grew up and grew into Earth Wind & Fire, and where Elvis Presley sneaked into Rev. Herbert Brewster's East Trigg Avenue Baptist church as a teenager to listen to gospel music, much of which Rev. Brewster had written for Mahalia Jackson.
With the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis in April 1968, the closing of Stax Records due to forced bankruptcy in 1975, and general suburban sprawl that left many of America's inner cities in the shadows, Soulsville USA fell into an era of decline.
By 1998, the lot at the legendary intersection of McLemore Avenue and College Street, where Stax Records had once stood, was a vacant patch of land, identified by only a single historic marker telling visitors it was the site where some of the most famous music in the world had been made. An abandoned 65-unit apartment building stood on the adjacent lot. It was emblematic of the neglect and decay Soulsville USA had come to know.
But a group of dedicated Memphians had a vision. They believed that Soulsville USA could be revitalized and that pride could be once again instilled in its residents and that economic opportunity could be reinvigorated. They believed that Soulsville USA could have better housing, safer streets, and the sweet sound of soul music wafting through neighborhood again.
Working with the city, county, and federal government; LeMoyne-Owen College Community Development Corporation, The Plough Foundation, anonymous private donors, the Memphis Housing Authority and a collective of individuals who all shared this vision, and with some assistance from the state government, they turned that vacant patch of land at McLemore and College into a multimillion dollar, state-of-the-art Stax Museum of American Soul Music. They demolished the adjacent abandoned apartment building and built the spectacular Stax Music Academy to help enrich the lives of potentially at-risk neighborhood children through music education. Today, the museum and academy are the crown jewel in a $100 million neighborhood revitalization project.
Explore The Museum
From the award-winning introductory documentary film to an authentic 100-year-old Mississippi Delta church that explains the gospel roots of soul music, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music winds and twists through a labyrinth of exhibits that promote and preserve the legacy of American soul music and its contributions internationally, highlighting musical giants such as Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, the Bar-Kays, Booker T. & the MGs, Johnnie Taylor, Little Milton, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Ike & Tina Turner, and hundreds of others.
Among the more than 2,000 exhibits, videos, stage costumes, photographs, instruments used to record the Stax sound, you'll find items such as Phalon Jones' saxophone that was retrieved from a lake intact after the fatal crash of Otis Redding and the Bar-Kays; Otis Redding's favorite brown suede jacket; Albert King's famous purple Flying V guitar; Tina Turner's gold sequined stage dress and Ike Turner silver lame suit and Fender guitar; the organ used by Booker T. Jones to record Green Onions; and Isaac Hayes' restored, peacock-blue 1972 Superfly Cadillac El Dorado complete with television, refrigerator, and gold trim. You'll be amazed in the Hall of Records, where approximately 800 45 single records and 300 LPs are on display. And you'll stand on the exact spot where all of the great Stax music was made in the recreation of Stax's legendary Studio A. In addition to these and other permanent exhibits, the Stax Museum Gallery hosts seasonally-changing exhibits, with internationally acclaimed photography exhibitions celebrating such icons as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the world's greatest hip hop artists, and virtually every famous blues musician in history.
Among the more than 2,000 exhibits, videos, stage costumes, photographs, instruments used to record the Stax sound, you'll find items such as Phalon Jones' saxophone that was retrieved from a lake intact after the fatal crash of Otis Redding and the Bar-Kays; Otis Redding's favorite brown suede jacket; Albert King's famous purple Flying V guitar; Tina Turner's gold sequined stage dress and Ike Turner silver lame suit and Fender guitar; the organ used by Booker T. Jones to record Green Onions; and Isaac Hayes' restored, peacock-blue 1972 Superfly Cadillac El Dorado complete with television, refrigerator, and gold trim. You'll be amazed in the Hall of Records, where approximately 800 45 single records and 300 LPs are on display. And you'll stand on the exact spot where all of the great Stax music was made in the recreation of Stax's legendary Studio A. In addition to these and other permanent exhibits, the Stax Museum Gallery hosts seasonally-changing exhibits, with internationally acclaimed photography exhibitions celebrating such icons as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the world's greatest hip hop artists, and virtually every famous blues musician in history.
 | Teachers Corner
Finally, a place where you can find what you need to teach the music you love in the classroom. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music develops classroom lesson plans and curricular materials for k-12 students. The museum actively seeks opportunities to ensure youth inclusion in the educational experiences it provides. Our educational materials and programs are aligned to national content standards for easy assimilation into daily classroom instruction. Can you imagine combining the music, the lessons, and the heritage, in one fun package? Check it out! The Soulville Charter School The Soulsville Charter School will produce students who will be able to read, communicate effectively and possess high-order thinking skills through the interconnectedness of academics and music. Influenced by our heritage, community legacy and our organization's existing culture of innovation, creativity and success, we will engage our students in unique and creative enrichment activities and projects that reinforce core academic areas. As a result of our program, students will be highly motivated and inspired to learn, which will result in educational and developmental growth and improve their ability to express themselves in the global community. Students will leave The Soulsville Charter School knowing that they can be successful through self-discipline, goal setting, commitment and hard work. Stax Music Academy Don't forget to visit the site dedicated to Stax Music Academy, a state-of-the-art facility adjacent to the Museum on Soulsville Campus where potentially at-risk inner-city youth are mentored through numerous music education programs. There not only helping launch the next Isaac Hayes, Staple Singers, Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas, or Bar-Kays of the future, but they also instill pride and respect in youngsters to help make them great community leaders of the future. Stax Museum Gift Shop For the most soulful gifts in the world, check out "We're selling our soul!" - the online museum gift shop of Stax-related music and merchandise. They continue to add dozens of new items that can be found exclusively at the Stax Museum's Satellite Records & Gift Shop. They have made shopping online as easy as possible, so that music fans from around the world can own any or all of the great music themed gift items Get Involved Volunteer/Intern The Stax Museum and Stax Music Academy have many opportunities for those who wish to volunteer and/or work as college interns. Volunteers and interns gain valuable experience that can be applied to many other types of work and community programming. Volunteers may accrue hours that are applied to receiving a membership to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. For information about becoming a volunteer or intern, please call 901-946-2535. Become a Member To become a member of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, please click here. Donate To make a donation to the Soulsville Foundation, please click here. Stax - Hours/Admission/Location/Contact The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is located in the heart of Soulsville USA in Memphis, Tennessee, just minutes from its numerous other attractions such as world-famous Beale Street, Elvis Presley's Graceland, the Smithsonian Rock 'N Soul Museum, Sun Studios, The Peabody Hotel, and the Cooper-Young and Overton Square entertainment districts. The Stax Museum welcomes individuals and groups, and is available for numerous types of private parties and events. For more information on hours, admission, location and contact info Click Here! *Sources; http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/ |
The Madame C.J. Walker Theatre In Indianapolis, Indiana
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Who Was Madame C.J. Walker
Madam C. J. Walker was born on December 23, 1867 in Delta, Louisiana, the daughter of Owen and Minerva Breedlove. Her parents were former slaves working as sharecroppers and both died when Sarah was a child. As a result, Sarah was forced to move from one household to another. At age seven, she moved in with her sister Louvina and her husband. After suffering abuse from Louvina’s husband, Sarah ran away and married Moses McWilliams when she was 14 years old. In 1885, she gave birth to their daughter Lelia. Two years later, Moses was murdered by a White lynch mob.
After this tragedy, Sarah moved with her daughter to St. Louis, Missouri where she worked as a cook and housecleaner. Unfortunately, all of the stress and hardship had begun to take its toll on her and she found her hair falling out.
She tried several products which claimed would help her condition but to no avail. At this point Sarah had a dream in which a “big Black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up for my hair. "Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out.”
After she shared her formula with some friends and found it successful for them as well, she realized that there were almost no hair products available for Blacks. She therefore decided to go into business, selling hair products to Black women.
In addition to employing other women and helping them become empowered as independant distributors of her products, Walker became the nation's FIRST, SELF-MADE, Black Millionaire!!
After this tragedy, Sarah moved with her daughter to St. Louis, Missouri where she worked as a cook and housecleaner. Unfortunately, all of the stress and hardship had begun to take its toll on her and she found her hair falling out.
She tried several products which claimed would help her condition but to no avail. At this point Sarah had a dream in which a “big Black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up for my hair. "Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out.”
After she shared her formula with some friends and found it successful for them as well, she realized that there were almost no hair products available for Blacks. She therefore decided to go into business, selling hair products to Black women.
In addition to employing other women and helping them become empowered as independant distributors of her products, Walker became the nation's FIRST, SELF-MADE, Black Millionaire!!
The Walker Theatre Center & Its Mission
The Walker Theatre Center
The Madame Walker Theatre Center operates with a mission dedicated to nurturing and celebrating the arts from an African-American perspective. The Center provides a forum for arts programming directed toward cross-cultural appreciation and educational opportunities. Since its inception in 1979, the Center has continued to preserve and perpetuate the legacy of its namesake, Madam C.J. Walker. The Madame C.J. Walker Building is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and was constructed in 1927 and is internationally known as a place where arts and cultural heritage flourish. The building is on both the national and state registries as a Historic Landmark built in tribute to its namesake, Madam C.J. Walker. The Building includes the majestic Grand Casino Ballroom, often used for private celebrations and corporate functions, and the 935-seat African motif theatre where beautifully staged performances are presented to arts lovers throughout the community. |
Season Events
Classic tales will be brought to life through stellar music, artistic movement and the literary arts as the Madame Walker Theatre Center launches another performing arts season filled with memorable performances by some of the world’s leading artists and companies. The “2010” season titled "Revisiting the Classics" will feature a variety of performances. From a classical opera to a dance concert by a leading international ensemble, the Center's season brings great excitement to Indiana Avenue.
Click Here for calendar of events
 | Experience the Madame Walker
|
Walker Ballroom
Madame Walker Theater Facility Rentals are available and offer the following:
Grand Casino Ballroom - Simple for a seminar, workshop or conference. Sophisticated.for a grand affair. The Grand Casino Ballroom contains 4,800-square feet of extraordinary versatility with stylish panache.
Walker Memorial Boardroom - Style and sophistication match with the magnificent view of the downtown skyline in the Walker Memorial Boardroom. The boardroom provides an elegant space for intimate gatherings, special sessions or important meetings.
A’Lelia Bundles Conference Center - Having a meeting and need a place to hold it? The A’Lelia Bundles Conference Center is the space for you. The Center can be set up to meet any one of your needs.
*Click Here for more on facility rentals
Get Involved
The Madame Walker Theater Center provides opportunity for the public to get involved by becoming a member, supporting with annual gifts and sponsorships and by volunteering. Learn More.
*Source:
Madame Walker Theater Center
The City Of Baltimore
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City Of Baltimore
Baltimore Maryland and African Americans
The history of Baltimore and African Americans reaches back to the beginning of United States' history. Before the Civil War, Baltimore (population 100,000) was home to the largest community of free blacks in the nation, more than 25,000, while its slave population was slightly over 2,000. In the late nineteenth century, blacks in the city worked as laundresses and laborers, stevedores and seamstresses.
At the same time, the city also had prominent communities of African American pastors, barbers, caterers, newspaper editors, bankers, lawyers, physicians, shop owners, grocers, teachers and civil servants. From this base Baltimore became and remains a hub of African American culture, scholarship, business and religion.
In looking at a Baltimore city map, one cannot help but notice the East Baltimore corridors advantageous urban location. The Great Blacks in Wax museum is a serious contributor to the areas economic opportunity by helping to provide a spirit of renewal and vitality.
The history of Baltimore and African Americans reaches back to the beginning of United States' history. Before the Civil War, Baltimore (population 100,000) was home to the largest community of free blacks in the nation, more than 25,000, while its slave population was slightly over 2,000. In the late nineteenth century, blacks in the city worked as laundresses and laborers, stevedores and seamstresses.
At the same time, the city also had prominent communities of African American pastors, barbers, caterers, newspaper editors, bankers, lawyers, physicians, shop owners, grocers, teachers and civil servants. From this base Baltimore became and remains a hub of African American culture, scholarship, business and religion.
In looking at a Baltimore city map, one cannot help but notice the East Baltimore corridors advantageous urban location. The Great Blacks in Wax museum is a serious contributor to the areas economic opportunity by helping to provide a spirit of renewal and vitality.
The Great Blacks In Wax Museum - Baltimore Maryland
The Black Wax Museum
The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum is among the nation’s most dynamic cultural and educational institutions. Because it is a wax museum committed solely to the study and preservation of African American history, it is also among the most unique. Primarily, the presentation of life-size, life-like wax figures highlighting historical and contemporary personalities of African ancestry defines its uniqueness.
This unique museum, the first one of wax in Baltimore, Maryland and the first wax museum of African American history in the nation, is the brainchild of Dr's. Elmer and Joanne Martin. They established the museum in 1983.
Between 1985 and 1987, the City of Baltimore awarded Great Blacks In Wax $300,000 in grants and loans and designated an unused fire station at 1601 East North Avenue for the museum's development and expansion. The entire block including the firehouse, a Victorian Mansion, and two former apartment dwellings, when renovated, provide nearly 30,000 square feet of exhibit and office space. Through the blending of new design, preservation and restoration of existing architectural structures, and significant landscape improvements the livability of the neighborhood has been enhanced.
Inside are over 100 wax figures and scenes, a full model slave ship exhibit telling the powerful 400 year history of the Atlantic Slave Trade, a compelling exhibit on the role of youth in making history, a Maryland room highlighting the contributions of outstanding Marylanders to African American history, sharecroppers exhibit, a gift shop, and a mini auditorium for lectures, films, and dramatic presentations. The large figure of an elephant and Hannibal in the main lobby are an exciting start for the younger set.
The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum is among the nation’s most dynamic cultural and educational institutions. Because it is a wax museum committed solely to the study and preservation of African American history, it is also among the most unique. Primarily, the presentation of life-size, life-like wax figures highlighting historical and contemporary personalities of African ancestry defines its uniqueness.
This unique museum, the first one of wax in Baltimore, Maryland and the first wax museum of African American history in the nation, is the brainchild of Dr's. Elmer and Joanne Martin. They established the museum in 1983.
Between 1985 and 1987, the City of Baltimore awarded Great Blacks In Wax $300,000 in grants and loans and designated an unused fire station at 1601 East North Avenue for the museum's development and expansion. The entire block including the firehouse, a Victorian Mansion, and two former apartment dwellings, when renovated, provide nearly 30,000 square feet of exhibit and office space. Through the blending of new design, preservation and restoration of existing architectural structures, and significant landscape improvements the livability of the neighborhood has been enhanced.
Inside are over 100 wax figures and scenes, a full model slave ship exhibit telling the powerful 400 year history of the Atlantic Slave Trade, a compelling exhibit on the role of youth in making history, a Maryland room highlighting the contributions of outstanding Marylanders to African American history, sharecroppers exhibit, a gift shop, and a mini auditorium for lectures, films, and dramatic presentations. The large figure of an elephant and Hannibal in the main lobby are an exciting start for the younger set.
Museum Founders, Dr. Elmer & Joanne Martin
The Black Wax Museum Founders
As the founders of The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, Inc., Dr. Elmer and Joanne Martin knew the importance of having a dream and the gratification of having one's dream fulfilled. Their dream took form in 1980 when they, with money they had saved to make a down payment on a house, purchased four wax figures. They carried the figures around to schools, churches, shopping malls, and almost anywhere that people would allow them to set up an exhibit. Little did they know that by 1983 they would have a small storefront museum in downtown Baltimore, 21 wax figures, and the good wishes and support of many loyal friends. The possibility that in 1988 they would be celebrating the grand opening of a 10,000 square foot facility on North Avenue seemed almost unimaginable. But they always knew that a higher power than the two of them was guiding this effort. So they have always dared to dream, to believe that if they just "kept the faith," things would work out. |
Slave Ship
One of the many Exhibitions at Black Wax Museum
The Middle Passage was the leg of the Atlantic slave trade that transported people from Africa to North America, South America and the Caribbean. It was called the Middle Passage because the slave trade was a form of Triangular trade; boats left Europe, went to Africa, then to America, and then returned to Europe. They also made a stop in the West Indies for food, supplies, or traded molasses or rum for the slaves.
Slave traders acquired slaves by purchasing them from numerous ports in Africa. They were able to pack nearly 300 slaves and approximately 35 crew into most slave ships. The men were normally chained together in pairs to save space - right leg to the next man's left leg - while the women and children may have had somewhat more room. The captives were fed very small portions of corn, yams, rice, and palm oil, normally just enough to sustain them. Sometimes captives were allowed to move around during the day, but many ships kept the shackles on throughout the journey.
It is estimated that of the 15 million that made the journey, 3 million did not survive. Disease, starvation, and the length of the passage were the main contributors to the death toll. Many believe that overcrowding caused this outrageously high death rate, but amoebic dysentery and scurvy were the main problems. Additionally, outbreaks of smallpox, measles, and other diseases spread rapidly in the close-quarter compartments. Slave ships might take anywhere from one to six months to cross the Atlantic depending on the weather conditions at sea. The death rate rose steadily with the length of voyage, as the risk of dysentery increased with longer stints at sea, and the quality and amount of food and water diminished with every passing day.
Precise records are not available to provide an actual death toll, but it is estimated that as many as 8 million slaves may have perished to bring 4 million to the Caribbean islands. This number does not include the slaves brought to North or South America.
The Middle Passage was the leg of the Atlantic slave trade that transported people from Africa to North America, South America and the Caribbean. It was called the Middle Passage because the slave trade was a form of Triangular trade; boats left Europe, went to Africa, then to America, and then returned to Europe. They also made a stop in the West Indies for food, supplies, or traded molasses or rum for the slaves.
Slave traders acquired slaves by purchasing them from numerous ports in Africa. They were able to pack nearly 300 slaves and approximately 35 crew into most slave ships. The men were normally chained together in pairs to save space - right leg to the next man's left leg - while the women and children may have had somewhat more room. The captives were fed very small portions of corn, yams, rice, and palm oil, normally just enough to sustain them. Sometimes captives were allowed to move around during the day, but many ships kept the shackles on throughout the journey.
It is estimated that of the 15 million that made the journey, 3 million did not survive. Disease, starvation, and the length of the passage were the main contributors to the death toll. Many believe that overcrowding caused this outrageously high death rate, but amoebic dysentery and scurvy were the main problems. Additionally, outbreaks of smallpox, measles, and other diseases spread rapidly in the close-quarter compartments. Slave ships might take anywhere from one to six months to cross the Atlantic depending on the weather conditions at sea. The death rate rose steadily with the length of voyage, as the risk of dysentery increased with longer stints at sea, and the quality and amount of food and water diminished with every passing day.
Precise records are not available to provide an actual death toll, but it is estimated that as many as 8 million slaves may have perished to bring 4 million to the Caribbean islands. This number does not include the slaves brought to North or South America.
 Elijah Muhammad |  Malcolm X |
 Zulu Warrior |  Civil War Soldiers |
To view additional images of the wax figures, CLICK HERE
The Great Blacks in Wax Museum
1601 East North Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21213
http://www.greatblacksinwax.org
Museum: 410-563-3404
Fax: 410-563-7806
Hours of Operation;
Spring Hours
March 1 - June 30
Tues. - Sat. - 9 A.M. - 6 P.M.
Sunday: Noon - 6 P.M.
Closed Mondays
Summer Hours
July 1 - August 31
Mon. - Sat. - 9 A.M. - 6 P.M.
Sunday: Noon - 6 P.M.
September Hours
Tues. - Sat. - 9 A.M. - 6 P.M.
Sunday: Noon - 6 P.M.
Closed Mondays
Winter Hours
October 15 - January 31
Tues. - Sat. - 9 A.M. - 5 P.M.
Sunday: Noon - 5 P.M.
Closed Mondays
February Black History Month Hours
Feb.1 - Feb. 29
Mon. - Sat. - 9 A.M. - 6 P.M.
Sunday: Noon - 6 P.M.*
Open Most Federal Holidays
Primary Information Source:
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_middle_passage
The City Of Chicago
A Tour Of Chicago
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The City of Chicago
Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, and with more than 2.8 million people, the largest city in the state of Illinois and the Mid Western United States. Located on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan and next to Indiana. Chicago is the third most-densely populated major city in the U.S., and anchor to the world's 26th largest metropolitan area with over 9.6 million people across three states. Except for the southwest corner of O’Hare International Airport in Dupage County, the city of Chicago is located in Cook County.
The first permanent settlement in Chicago was founded in 1781 by Haiitian-French Born, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, from Santo Domingo. The city became a major transportation and telecommunications hub in North America. Today, the city retains its status as a major hub, both for industry and infrastructure, with its O’Hare International Airport as the secThe first permanent settlement was founded in 1781 by Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, an African American from Santo Domingo.ond busiest airport in the world. In 2007[update], the city attracted 32.8 million domestic visitors and about 1.15 million foreign visitors.
In modern times, the city has taken on an additional dimension as a center for business and finance and is listed as one of the world's top ten Global Financial Centers. Chicago is a stronghold of the Democratic Party and has been home to influential politicians, including the current President of the United States, Baraack Obama. The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated Chicago as an, alpha world city due to Chicago's important role in the global economic system.
Globally recognized, Chicago has numerous nicknames, which reflect the impressions and opinions about historical and contemporary Chicago. The best known include: "Chi-town”; "Chi-City"; the “Windy City” with reference to Chicago politicians and residents boasting about their city; "Second City," due to the city generally being the second most prestigious in the nation in terms of culture, entertainment, and finance, and because for much of the twentieth century Chicago's population was the second largest of any city in the United States; and the "City of Big Shoulders", referring to its numerous skyscrapers (whose steel frame designs were largely pioneered in Chicago), described as being husky and brawling. Chicago has also been called "the most American of big cities".
Chicago was only 46 years old when Mark Twain wrote those words, but it had already grown more than 100-fold, from a small trading post at the mouth of the Chicago River into one of the nation’s largest cities, and it wasn’t about to stop. Over the next 20 years, it would quadruple in population, amazing the rest of the world with its ability to repeatedly reinvent itself.
Today, Chicago has become a global city, a thriving center of international trade and commerce, and a place where people of every nationality come to pursue the American dream.
Chicago Black Culture/Black History
|  Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable |
