African Americans have been playing an important role in the history of our nation since colonial times. Maryland has played a large part in that history, and this page is aimed at helping you learn about and visit some of the places throughout Maryland where history has unfolded.
The African-American experience in Maryland is full of accomplishments and sacrifices, past and present, that have shaped both a culture and a state.
African American Heritage Guide (pdf)
Underground Railroad Brochure (pdf)
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway (pdf)
Fourth Annual Reginald F. Lewis Museum
High School Juried Art Exhibition
January 14 – February 26, 2012
This year’s theme, “Building Community through Civic Engagement,” focuses on improving communities through civic or political actions. In partnership with the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA).
More info...
The Snowy Day
Jan. 20 - Feb. 12
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the first American picture book that featured an African-American child as the main character. The simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night is brought to life in the magical world premiere. Peter celebrates the snow-draped inner city with a day of adventures-experimenting with footprints, knocking snow from a tree, creating snow angels, and trying to save a snowball for the next day.
Adventure Theatre
Glen Echo Park
Montgomery County
More info...
Celebrate Black History Month at the B&O
February 1-29, 2012
Celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the railroad industry. Learn about these men and women who filled vital jobs along the B&O Railroad’s line and understand how significant social issues, such as segregation, affected railroading.
B&O Railroad Museum
Baltimore City
More info...
The Future Is Now! African Americans in Dentistry Exhibit
February 1-29, 2012
Celebrate Black History month at the National Museum of Dentistry and learn about an important part of our “oral” history.
National Museum of Dentistry
Baltimore City
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Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture Public Meeting
2 February 2012
The mission of the MD Commission on African American History and Culture is to discover, document, preserve, collect, and promote Maryland’s African American heritage. The Commission also provides technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives. Through the accomplishment of this mission, the MCAAHC seeks to educate Maryland citizens and visitors to our state about the significance and impact of the African American experience in Maryland. Open to the public. Registration encouraged.
To register or be added to the agenda, contact LeRonn Herbert at 410.216.6187 or
email: lherbert@goci.state.md.us.
Ridgeley Rosenwald School
8507 Central Avenue
Capitol Heights
Banneker-Douglass Museum Family Tour
Feb. 4
Join us for a special family tour of the Banneker-Douglass Museum and learn about the many people who have helped to make history in Maryland and the United States. Be like self-taught astronomer Benjamin Banneker and learn how to create an object through the powers of observation. Follow Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad and determine if you could escape to freedom in a box. Learn about the struggle for equality in Maryland and hear about the people who fought for civil rights.
Free. Open for all ages!
Registration encouraged.
Banneker-Douglass Museum
84 Franklin St.
Annapolis
More info...
African American Workers and Free Labor in
Early Md. (lecture)
Feb. 9
Jennifer Hull Dorsey follows a generation of manumitted (freed) African Americans in the early 19th century. These families created free communities in the middle of slavery here on the Eastern Shore. A fascinating topic that is not to be missed.
Historical Society of Talbot County
Easton
More info...
Tuskegee Airmen
Feb. 11
Stop by the museum and meet a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators in the United States Armed Services during World War II. Learn about the history of the group and about the current Tuskegee Airmen organization.
College Park Aviation Museum
Prince George's County
More info...
A Tribute to the Music of Louis Armstrong
February 12
A tribute to the music of New Orleans native Louis Armstrong with cornet and trumpet player Zach Smith (Dixie Power Trio, New Line Brass Band) and the University of Delaware Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Tom Palmer. This is the first event in The Music of New Orleans: Jazz with All the Fixin's, a 2 week celebration of New Orleans and its jazz heritage. Call for reservations. Admission is $15.
The Mainstay
5753 Main Street
Rock Hall
More info...
Dandy Lion: Articulating a Re(de)fined Black Masculine Identity
Through May 13
Twenty emerging photographers and filmmakers present refreshing images of young black men who challenge popular notions of urban black masculinity.
Reginald F. Lewis Museum
Baltimore
More info...
African-American Heritage Walking Tour
Saturday, February 18; April - October, 2012
City Dock - 1 Dock Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21403
Anne Arundel, Central Maryland
This unique walking tour traces the rich history of African Americans in Annapolis and their impact nationally and internationally.
410-268-7600
More info...
Photographing the World Panel Discussion
February 18, 2012
Take part in a panel discussion on seeing the world through a photographer’s lens. Jay L. Baker, chief photographer for Governor Martin O’Malley, leads a group of photographers from The Exposure Group: African American Photographers Association in Washington, DC talking about their experiences traveling the world taking pictures of all areas of the globe. Listen to this distinguished group of photographers share their images and experiences photographing life around the world.
This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition Faces of Ghana: A Photography Exhibit by Jay L. Baker.
Banneker-Douglass Museum
84 Franklin St.
aAnnapolis, MD 21401
Free. Open to the public. Registration encouraged.
For information or to register, call 410.216.6181 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.
Loring Cornish: Selections from In Each Other’s Shoes Artist Talk
February 19, 2012
Free
Registration required by February 15, 2012.
For information or to register, contact 410.216.6181 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us
Note: The Annapolis Bus Company will run free shuttle service between the Kneseth Israel parking lot and the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Shuttle runs will occur at 10:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. with return service at 12:00 p.m. and 12:15 p.m. Space is limited and registration is required through 410.216.6181 or BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.
Join artist Loring Cornish for a personal tour of his exhibition. Discover the history and sense of community behind each of his pieces and how they highlight the ties between the Jewish and African American communities.
This program is co-sponsored by the Baltimore Jewish Council, Black/Jewish Forum of Baltimore, First Baptist Church of Annapolis, Congregation Kol Shalom, Kneseth Israel Congregation, and Temple Beth Shalom.
The African American Experience Tour
February 25, 2012; 2pm
Hampton National Historic Site
Towson, Maryland 21230
Central Maryland
Experience the "peculiar institution" that fueled United States' economic engine and made vast plantations, such as Hampton possible, through an enslaved woman's eyes. While in period dress, Park Ranger, Angela Roberts-Burton will take you on a 90 minute journey through the Hampton mansion, ice house, and octagon house foundation. She will tell tales of those who toiled to make the Ridgelys' lavish lifestyle possible
410-823-1309
more info...
Freedom/Slavery Black History Month Program
February 25, 2012
Come learn about Moncure Daniel Conway, Thomas Stone's great-grandson who freed his slaves and led them to freedom in the North.
Thomas Stone National Historic Site
6655 Rose Hill Road, Port Tobacco, MD
9 am to 5 pm
Free (donations accepted)
phone: 301-392-1776
More info...
Hands on Family Art Program
Saturday, February 25, 2012 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Take part in this fun hands-on art event for children and adults focusing on using found and everyday objects to create artworks. Baltimore-based artist Loring Cornish will talk briefly about his work, his use of found materials, and what inspired the selection of those particular materials. Afterwards create an artwork using everyday and found objects to take home.
This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition Selections from In Each Other’s Shoes.$5.00 per person. Registration strongly encouraged. For information or to register, contact 410.216.6181 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us
Banneker-Douglass Museum
84 Franklin St.
Annapolis
Maryland’s Underground Railroad Lecture
Harriet Tubman Day Commemoration
Saturday, March 10, 2012 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Celebrate Maryland’s connections to the Underground Railroad and attend a lecture given by the Maryland State Archives. Hear the stories of slaves escaping to freedom and learn about their journeys. This program will highlight stories told in Flee! Stories of Flight in Maryland in Black and White, a traveling exhibition created by the Maryland State Archives’ Study of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland. This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition Flee! Stories of Flight in Maryland in Black and White. Free. Registration encouraged. For more information or to register, call 410.216.6181 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.
Banneker-Douglass Museum
84 Franklin St.
Annapolis
Selections from In Each Other’s Shoes Bus Tour
Friday, March 16, 2012 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Join the Banneker-Douglass Museum for a bus tour celebrating the themes in Baltimore artist Loring Cornish’s exhibition Selections from In Each Other’s Shoes. The tour will begin at the Banneker-Douglass Museum with a guided walk through of Selections from In Each Others Shoes before departing for Baltimore. Participants will take a guided tour of the Jewish Museum of Maryland including a visit to their latest exhibition Chosen Food: Cuisine, Culture and American Jewish Identity. After visiting the Jewish Museum, travelers will enjoy lunch at a restaurant in downtown Baltimore. The third and final stop on the trip will be a visit to artist Loring Cornish’s at his studio/gallery space. Cornish will share his artistic process and the works on view in his gallery space with the group. The tour will conclude with the bus dropping participants off at the Banneker-Douglass Museum.
This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition Selections from In Each Other’s Shoes. Cost: $45.00 per person, lunch included.Limited space available. Advance registration and payment required by March 1, 2012.Registration for this program will open on January 27, 2012. To register, contact the museum at 410.216.6181 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us
Banneker-Douglass Museum
84 Franklin St.
Annapolis
Maryland Day at the Banneker-Douglass Museum
Saturday, March 24, 2012 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Celebrate Maryland’s history as part of the Four Rivers Heritage Area’s fifth annual event. The Banneker-Douglass Museum will offer activities focused on Rosenwald Schools in Anne Arundel County. Join students from North County High School and Southern High School as they trace the history of Rosenwald Schools in Anne Arundel County. Former Rosenwald School students are invited to take part in on site oral history interviews and share their memories. The community is invited to help the students complete documentary story quilts based on several local Rosenwald Schools by adding a few stitches, sharing a story, or even providing a photograph to be scanned and added to the quilts.
These schools were built by African American communities throughout the southern United States with partial funding from the Rosenwald Fund started in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald, head of Sears Roebuck & Co. Anne Arundel County is the home to over 20 schools receiving Rosenwald funding. Come learn about these amazing schools and take a few moments to share your educational experiences. Free. Open to the public. Registration not required.
Banneker-Douglass Museum
84 Franklin St.
Annapolis
5th Annual Ladies Hats and Tea
March 31, 2012 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Put on your best hat and come celebrate women’s history month at the 5th Annual Hats and Tea. The Banneker-Douglass Museum, Bates Legacy Center, and the Northern Arundel Cultural Preservation Society, Inc. (NACPS) are joining together to offer an afternoon of celebration. Participants of all ages are invited to honor their heritage during an event featuring a formal tea, fashion show, inspirational inspirational speakers, and musical performances. Tickets required. $25.00/adults, $15.00/children ages 5-12, free/children under 5 years old.Registration for this program will open February 1, 2012.
St. Mark United Methodist Church
1436 Dorsey Road
Hanover
