6 Places to Explore African American History & Culture

Although Black History Month is celebrated in February in the United States, our story is shared year-round worldwide. Black history spreads across continents, cultures, and centuries. It is so complex and interesting that there is something for everyone. Here are six diverse destinations to help travelers delve deeper into African American history and culture:

Washington DC

National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC)

The National Museum of African American History & Culture was a long time coming! It was authorized in 2003, the site was selected in 2006, and the museum was open for business in 2016. The NMAAHC is a well-organized, comprehensive, and interactive destination for African American History. Its 12 exhibits cover slavery, civil rights, segregation, religion, sports, visual and performing arts, entertainment, community, and family. One visit cannot comb through over 400 years of artifacts and historical information. We spent approximately four hours at the museum and didn’t even scratch the surface. It’s so easy to get captivated by just one exhibit. A huge bonus was the museum restaurant, Sweet Home Café. This restaurant highlights tasty traditional African American foods from the North, the Agricultural South, the Creole Coast, and the West Range regions. 

Ghana

Elmina Castle

Situated on the Gulf coast of Ghana is the white-washed medieval-style Elmina Castle. On the outside, you will find beautiful blue skies and waters, sandy beaches, and tropical palm trees, but inside is the dark memory of the hundreds of thousands of Africans enslaved, tortured, and shipped throughout the Americas. If there is one thing I was taught over and over again in grade school–it is the history of African slavery. But that background textbook knowledge couldn’t prepare my heart for the walk through the poorly ventilated, dark dungeons my ancestors were in. Although this was a rough visit, it was a transformative experience.

New Orleans, LA

The Whitney Plantation

Plantations are abundant in Louisiana, but the Whitney Plantation is unique in that it’s the only one that focuses on the experience of the enslaved people. According to our tour guide, a majority of plantations in Louisiana focus on superficial details like the chinaware in the Big House and not on the meaningful lives of enslaved people. The two-hour guided tour walks you through the museum exhibits, restored buildings, and first-person narratives. You’ll leave with a strong sense of what it was like to be an enslaved person in Louisiana.

Durham, NC

Black Wall Street

In the early 1900s, Parrish Street in Durham, North Carolina, was the core of African American business, better known as Black Wall Street. It was a four-block district named after New York City Wall Street, which houses the New York Stock Exchange and renowned financial firms. Some cities had districts similar to those on Black Wall Street. However, Durham’s was the most integral and nationally recognized. Parrish Street surrounded the Hayti community, Durham’s primary African American residential district. Together, the two districts served as a hub of Black life in Durham. Currently, six bronze sculptures are celebrating the history of this street.

Greensboro, NC

International Civil Rights Center & Museum

The International Civil Rights Center & Museum is dedicated to international civil and human rights struggles. The Museum is in the F.W. Woolworth retail store in Greensboro, North Carolina. Woolworths was the site of the nonviolent protests led by four freshmen from N.C. A&T State University in 1960. The freshmen sat down at the “whites only” lunch counter and challenged the laws of segregation. Their bold actions served as an impetus for the civil rights movement.

Wakanda*

Marvel’s Black Panther

While Wakanda is a fictional African country, the effects of Marvel’s Black Panther movie are real. With its majority Black cast and creatives, the world received a film we haven’t seen before. This film doesn’t thrive off negative stereotypes of Black people. Instead, it is a film where Black kids can rejoice in seeing superheroes and scientists that look like them, a film where natural black beauty is celebrated, and a film dedicated to the empowerment of the Black community. In short, the film gave me LIFE! Black Panther made history at the box office, surpassing $700 million worldwide in ticket sales by its 2nd weekend. More so, Disney donated 1 million dollars to expand Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programming in Boys & Girls Club Of America to celebrate Black Panther’s success. Representation matters, and it makes a huge impact. No, this film won’t undo all the years of systematic injustice towards African Americans, but it is a step in the right direction. It is truly a cultural event the world needs to see and experience.

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