◷ Open Thursday–Sunday 10 AM–5 PM

Discover the uncompromising truth about Black history in North America and the Diaspora.

Here are a few must-see experiences to enrich your next visit to Maryland!

  • Founded to inspire through education and history, the museum remains a place of legacy where we tell our stories well. Plan your visit.

  • This esteemed organization is headquartered in Baltimore and has local affiliates. Learn more about how you can adopt a storyteller today!

  • Founded to enrich and inspire Baltimore’s urban community, this museum brings culture to life. Its permanent collection of African art is complemented by rotating exhibits showcasing the diverse countries, ethnic groups, and traditions of Africa. Plan your visit.

  • Serving Harford County, Maryland, with its headquarters in Liberia West Africa, B4 Youth Theatre is an arts-based advocacy and community education organization. Through live performances, youth programs, and partnerships, it reaches thousands, empowering communities through the arts. Learn More

Visit the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum

The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum is the nation's first African American history wax museum, welcoming over 80,000 visitors annually. As a must-see destination for local, national, and international guests, the museum showcases powerful wax figures that share stories of triumph and courage. Founded to inspire through education and history, the museum remains a place of legacy where we tell our stories well.

Thought-Provoking Exhibits

The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is pleased to offer a temporary exhibit, "Cash Crop," by the renowned Maker/Sculptor Stephen Hayes! In the words of Stephen Hayes himself, "This body of work serves as a reflection of the past and a glimpse of our present." Through the meticulous mending of materials, "Cash Crop" breathes new life into the history of the slave trade, offering modern-day visitors a profound reckoning with the enduring ramifications of systemic exploitation.

Traveling Exhibits

The newest figure, Henrietta Lacks, will be unveiled in March 2025 and will begin its traveling exhibit in late 2025. Many thanks to her family and the Henrietta Lacks Foundation for their permission to preserve this vital piece of history—one that is essential to the health and stability of our communities.

Membership has its benefits!

At The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, become a member and gain access to the benefits of uncompromising truth about Black history through stories of resilience, courage, triumph, and the emotionally powerful Cash Crop special exhibit.

Website: https://www.greatblacksinwax.org

Social Media: Instagram and Facebook

Recent Awards and Acknowledgements

  • Named a 2025 TOP 15 Must-See International Travel Destination

  • 2025 Best of Black Baltimore – Museum

  • 2024 Stellar Network’s Black History Honors – Black History Museum

  • Featured in Reader’s Digest’s 2024 Top 16 Black History Month Activities

  • Panelist for 2024 Association of African American Museums (AAAM) Conference

  • CLLCTIVLY’s launched Drs. Elmer and Joanne Martin Social Impact Fellowship

  • $250K ARPA Community Arts Grant Recipient

Bring the magic of storytelling to your community by hosting a nationally renowned teller through the Adopt-A-Teller Program—completely free (if eligible)! Inspire students and educators with powerful stories rooted in African-centered traditions that enhance learning, creativity, and cultural connection.

The Adopt-A-Teller Program (AATP) is a unique initiative that brings nationally renowned Black storytellers to schools, libraries, and community venues for free (if eligibility criteria are met). Established in 1991 at the Ninth National Festival of Black Storytelling, AATP has reached over 186,400 students and adults with engaging performances and workshops.

Through storytelling rooted in African-centered traditions, the program offers:

  • For Students – Workshops, performances, and residencies that boost listening, critical thinking, oratory skills, self-esteem, and a love for reading.

  • For Educators & Community Leaders – Training in storytelling techniques as powerful educational tools to enrich learning experiences.

ABOUT

The National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS) promotes and perpetuates the art of Blackstorytelling – an art form which embodies the history, heritage, and culture of African Americans. Black storytellers educate and entertain through the Oral Tradition, which depicts and documents the African American experience.

A nationally organized body with individual, affiliate, and organizational memberships, NABS preserves and passes on the folklore, legends, myths, fables and mores of Africans and their descendants and ancestors – "In the Tradition..." 

Baltimore Maryland Affiliates: Griot Circle of Maryland and Growing Griots (Youth Program)

Preserving Culture through Storytelling:
Honoring Tradition, Inspiring Generations

Visit the Sankofa Children’s Museum of

African Cultures

The Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures proudly showcases a permanent collection featuring a diverse array of African art and artifacts donated by generous supporters. This collection represents various regions across the African continent and the African Diaspora, highlighting the richness and diversity of African visual culture.

In addition to our permanent exhibit, we offer rotating displays that keep our audience engaged with new perspectives on African artistry.

ABOUT

Our mission is two-fold: (1) to educate, inspire, and connect children from all walks of life to the vast physical and cultural diversity of the African continent; and (2) to promote understanding through engagement with the art, culture, geography and history of the
continent’s diversities and contributions to modern society.

Empowering youth, and transforming communities through the Arts!

Hosted in Edgewood Maryland by B4Youth Theatre, ART Fest is a dynamic event rooted in critical pedagogy, empowering students to develop a strong voice as global, educated citizens while honoring their lived experiences. Through interactive performances, workshops, and creative expression, ART Fest fosters learning, cultural awareness, and personal growth.

Beyond the festival, B4Youth Theatre offers summer enrichment programming in Maryland, Philadelphia, and Liberia, West Africa, providing young artists with deeper engagement in the arts and leadership development.

ABOUT

B4 Youth Theatre (B4YT) empowers children across the diaspora through arts education, training youth as Arts Instructors to lead impactful community programs. Through advocacy, creativity, and performance, B4YT fosters leadership, resilience, and positive social change. We believe in the power of the arts for community empowerment, problem-solving, and peace-building.