The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, features an authentic slave pen recovered from a nearby farm in Kentucky.
Dozens of slaves were confined in this small building for months before being forced to walk to Natchez, Mississippi, to be sold. Standing in this building provides a haunting glimpse of the cruelty of slavery.
Where can you learn more about slavery, African culture, and the African American experience?
National Underground Railroad and Freedom Center (Cincinnati, Ohio)
This museum features exhibits on the history of slavery in America, the heroes of the Underground Railroad, and the ongoing fight against slavery around the world.
National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington, D.C.)
Opened in 2016, this is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history, and culture.
National Museum of African Art (Washington, D.C.)
Originally founded in 1964, this museum features thousands of artworks from around the continent of Africa.
Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (FL, GA, SC, NC)
Gullah Geechee communities are made up of direct descendants of West and Central Africans who survived the Middle Passage across the Atlantic Ocean and were enslaved for almost two centuries to labor on coastal plantations in the Corridor. This region includes many museums, homes, churches, and other sites related to this unique culture.
Museum of the African Disapora (San Francisco, CA)
This museum highlights the influence people of African descent have had throughout history. Its exhibits and programs feature music, dance, visual arts, crafts, religion, cosmology, food culture, and folklore.
Ethiopian Cultural Museum of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
This museum promotes the cultures, traditions and history of the diverse people of Ethiopia and contributes to the global cultural exchange necessary for cross-cultural understanding and collaboration.
Pan African Historical Museum (Springfield, MA)
Featuring a collection of contemporary and historical artwork and artifacts, this museum brings African culture and African-American history together, with a special focus on Western Massachusetts.
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (Detroit, MI)
Founded in 1965, this museum seeks to open minds and change lives through the exploration and celebration of African American history and culture.
Somali Museum of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
Minnesota has the largest number of immigrants from Somalia in the United States. This museum highlights the traditional art and culture of Somalia with the goal of reducing prejudice and misunderstanding.
International Museum of Muslim Cultures (Jackson, MS)
The religion of Islam has had a major impact on Africa, and a significant number of slaves brought to the United States were Muslim. This museum explores Muslim culture in different parts of the world.
African Art Museum (Tenafly, NJ)
Established by the Society of African Missions, a Roman Catholic organization, this museum focuses on sub-Saharan sculpture and painting, costumes, textiles and decorative arts, religion and folklore.
National Civil Rights Museum (Memphis, TN)
This museum is located at the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in 1968. This museum uses artifacts, films, and oral histories to tell the story of African Americans from slavery to the civil rights movement and beyond.
African American Museum (Dallas, TX)
This museum, established in 1974, is devoted to the preservation and display of African American artistic, cultural and historical materials.
This list will get you started, but it is not exhaustive. Many major art museums have collections of African art, and state or local museums in your area may have exhibits about slavery and civil rights.
