# List of museums focused on African Americans

This is a list of museums in the United States whose primary focus is on African American culture and history. Such museums are commonly known as African American museums. According to scholar Raymond Doswell, an African American museum is "an institution established for the preservation of African-derived culture."
Museums have a mission of "collecting and preserving material on history and cultural heritage." African American museums share these goals with archives, genealogy groups, historical societies, and research libraries. Museums differ from archives, genealogy groups, historical societies, memorials, and research libraries because they have as a basic educational or aesthetic purpose the collection and display of objects, and regular exhibitions for the public. Being open to the public (not just researchers or by appointment) and having regular hours sets museums apart from historical sites or other facilities that may call themselves museums.

## History of African American museums in the United States

The first African American museum was the College Museum in Hampton, Virginia, established in 1868. Prior to 1950, there were about 30 museums devoted to African American culture and history in the United States. These were located primarily at historically black colleges and universities or at libraries that had significant African American culture and history collections.
Important collections were developed at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina; Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee; Howard University in Washington, D.C.; Lincoln University in Chester County, Pennsylvania; Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland; Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama; and Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. Additionally, local historical societies, history clubs, and reading groups in African American communities also collected and displayed African American cultural artifacts.
The first independent, nonprofit African American museums in the United States were The African American Museum in Cleveland, Ohio (founded in 1956), the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago, Illinois (founded in 1960), and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan (founded in 1965). Throughout the 1960s, the energy of the American Civil Rights Movement led to numerous local African American museums being founded. Between 1868 and 1991, there were about 150 African American museums established in 37 states.
Since its opening in 2016, the largest African American museum in the United States is the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture. The previous record holder was the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan.

## List of museums

This is a sortable table. Click on the column you wish it sorted by.
| Name | City | State | Founded | Image |
| African American Historical and Cultural Museum | Waterloo | Iowa | 1997 | |
| A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum | Chicago | Illinois | 1995 | |
| Africa Center, The | New York City (Manhattan) | New York | 1984 | |
| African American Civil War Memorial Museum | Washington | D.C. | 1999 | |
| African-American Research Library and Cultural Center | Fort Lauderdale | Florida | 2002 | |
| African American Firefighter Museum | Los Angeles | California | 1997 | |
| African American Military History Museum | Hattiesburg | Mississippi | 2000 | |
| African American Multicultural Museum | Scottsdale | Arizona | 2005 | |
| African American Museum | Dallas | Texas | 1974 | |
| African American Museum and Library at Oakland | Oakland | California | 1994 | |
| African American Museum in Cleveland, The | Cleveland | Ohio | 1956 | |
| African American Museum in Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1976 | |
| African American Museum of Iowa | Cedar Rapids | Iowa | 2003 | |
| African American Museum of Nassau County | Hempstead | New York | 1970 | |
| African American Museum of the Arts | DeLand | Florida | 1994 | |
| African American Museum of Southern Illinois | Carbondale | Illinois | 1997 | |
| Afro-American Historical and Cultural Society Museum | Jersey City | New Jersey | 1984 | |
| Alabama State Black Archives Research Center and Museum | Huntsville | Alabama | 1990 | |
| Alexandria Black History Museum | Alexandria | Virginia | 1987 | |
| America's Black Holocaust Museum | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 1988 | |
| Anacostia Museum | Washington | D.C. | 1967 | |
| Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum | Lynchburg | Virginia | 1977 | |
| APEX (African American Panoramic Experience) Museum | Atlanta | Georgia | 1978 | |
| Armstead T. Johnson High School | Montross | Virginia | 2000 | |
| Backstreet Cultural Museum | New Orleans | Louisiana | 1999 | |
| Banneker-Douglass Museum | Annapolis | Maryland | 1984 | |
| Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum | Oella | Maryland | 1998 | |
| Beck Cultural Exchange Center | Knoxville, Tennessee | Tennessee | 1975 | |
| Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum | Seneca | South Carolina | 2015 | |
| Birmingham Civil Rights Institute | Birmingham | Alabama | 1992 | |
| Black American West Museum and Heritage Center | Denver | Colorado | 1971 | |
| Black Cowboy Museum | Rosenberg | Texas | 2017 | |
| Black History 101 Mobile Museum | Detroit | Michigan | 1995 | |
| Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia | Richmond | Virginia | 1981 | |
| Blanchard House Museum | Punta Gorda | Florida | 2004 | |
| Bontemps African American Museum | Alexandria | Louisiana | 1988 | |
| Brazos Valley African American Museum | Bryan | Texas | 2006 | |
| Bronzeville Children's Museum | Chicago | Illinois | 1998 | |
| Buffalo Soldiers National Museum | Houston | Texas | 2000 | |
| California African American Museum | Los Angeles | California | 1981 | |
| Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History | Detroit | Michigan | 1965 | |
| Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum | Sedalia | North Carolina | 1987 | |
| Clemson Area African American Museum | Clemson | South Carolina | 2010 | |
| Crispus Attucks Museum | Indianapolis | Indiana | 1998 | |
| Delta Cultural Center | Helena | Arkansas | 1991 | |
| Destination Crenshaw | Los Angeles | California | 2019 | |
| Dorchester Academy and Museum | Midway | Georgia | 2004 | |
| Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum | St. Petersburg | Florida | 2006 | |
| DuSable Museum of African American History | Chicago | Illinois | 1960 | |
| Eddie Mae Herron Center and Museum | Pocahontas | Arkansas | 2001 | |
| Ely Educational Museum | Pompano Beach | Florida | 2000 | |
| Evansville African American Museum | Evansville | Indiana | 2007 | |
| Finding Our Roots African American Museum | Houma | Louisiana | 2017 | |
| Frederick Douglass National Historic Site | Washington | D.C. | 1962 | |
| Freedom House Museum | Alexandria | Virginia | 2008 | |
| Freedom Rides Museum | Montgomery | Alabama | 1962 | |
| George Washington Carver Museum, The | Tuskegee | Alabama | 1941 | |
| George Washington Carver Museum | Phoenix | Arizona | 1980 | |
| George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center | Austin | Texas | 1980 | |
| George Washington Carver National Monument | Newton County | Missouri | 1960 | |
| Great Blacks in Wax Museum | Baltimore | Maryland | 1983 | |
| Great Plains Black History Museum | Omaha | Nebraska | 1975 | |
| Griot Museum of Black History, The | St. Louis | Missouri | 1997 | |
| Hammonds House Museum | Atlanta | Georgia | 1988 | |
| Hampton University Museum | Hampton | Virginia | 1988 | |
| Harriet Tubman Museum | Cape May | New Jersey | 2020 | |
| Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center | Church Creek | Maryland | 2017 | |
| Harvey B. Gantt Center | Charlotte | North Carolina | 1974 | |
| Henderson Institute Historical Museum | Henderson | North Carolina | 1986 | |
| Hotel Metropolitan Museum | Paducah | Kentucky | | |
| Houston Museum of African American Culture | Houston | Texas | 2012 | |
| Howard County Center of African American Culture | Columbia | Maryland | 1987 | |
| Idaho Black History Museum | Boise | Idaho | 1995 | |
| International African American Museum | Charleston | South Carolina | 2023 | |
| International Civil Rights Center and Museum | Greensboro | North Carolina | 2010 | |
| Jacob Fontaine Religious Museum | Austin | Texas | 2004 | |
| Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia | Big Rapids | Michigan | 1996 | |
| John Johnson House | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1997 | |
| John E. Rogers African American Cultural Center | Hartford | Connecticut | 1991 | |
| John G. Riley Center/Museum of African American History and Culture | Tallahassee | Florida | 1996 | |
| Josephine School Community Museum | Berryville | Virginia | 2003 | |
| Kansas African-American Museum | Wichita | Kansas | 1997 | |
| L.E. Coleman African-American Museum | Halifax County, Virginia | Virginia | 2005 | |
| LaVilla Museum | Jacksonville | Florida | 1999 | |
| Legacy Museum, The | Montgomery | Alabama | 2018 | |
| Legacy Museum of African American History | Lynchburg | Virginia | 2000 | |
| Lewis H. Latimer House | New York City (Queens) | New York | 2004 | |
| Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center | St. Augustine | Florida | 2005 | |
| Louis Armstrong House | New York City (Queens) | New York | 2003 | |
| Mariposa Museum & World Cultural Center | Peterborough | New Hampshire | 2002 |
| Mariposa Museum in Oak Bluffs (Mariposa Museum & World Cultural Center) | Oak Bluffs | Massachusetts | 2019 |
| Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site Visitors Center | Atlanta | Georgia | 1996 | |
| Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site | Washington | D.C. | 1979 | |
| Mary McLeod Bethune Home | Daytona Beach | Florida | 1956 | |
| Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum | New Smyrna Beach | Florida | 1999 | |
| Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum | Culver City | California | 2010 | |
| McLemore House African-American Museum | Franklin | Tennessee | 2002 | |
| Mississippi Civil Rights Museum | Jackson | Mississippi | 2017 | |
| MoCADA | New York City (Brooklyn) | New York | 1999 | |
| Mosaic Templars Cultural Center | Little Rock | Arkansas | 2008 | |
| Muhammad Ali Center | Louisville | Kentucky | 2005 | |
| Museum of African American History & Abiel Smith School | Boston | Massachusetts | 1964 | |
| Museum of the African Diaspora | San Francisco | California | 2005 | |
| Nash House Museum | Buffalo | New York | 2003 | |
| Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture | Natchez | Mississippi | 1991 | |
| National African American Archives and Museum | Mobile | Alabama | 1992 | |
| National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center | Wilberforce | Ohio | 1987 | |
| National Center for Civil and Human Rights | Atlanta | Georgia | 2014 | |
| National Center of Afro-American Artists | Roxbury | Massachusetts | 1969 | |
| National Civil Rights Museum | Memphis | Tennessee | 1991 | |
| National Museum of African American History and Culture | Washington | D.C. | 2016 | |
| National Museum of African American Music | Nashville | Tennessee | 2013 | |
| National Underground Railroad Freedom Center | Cincinnati | Ohio | 2004 | |
| National Voting Rights Museum | Selma | Alabama | 1991 | |
| Negro Leagues Baseball Museum | Kansas City | Missouri | 1990 | |
| Negro Southern League Museum | Birmingham | Alabama | 2014 | |
| New Orleans African American Museum | New Orleans | Louisiana | 1988 | |
| Newsome House Museum and Cultural Center | Newport News | Virginia | 1991 | |
| Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center | Niagara Falls | New York | 2018 | |
| Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum | Monroe | Louisiana | 1994 | |
| Northwest African American Museum | Seattle | Washington | 2008 | |
| Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American Museum | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | 2001 | |
| Old Dillard Museum | Fort Lauderdale | Florida | 1995 | |
| Omenala Griot Afrocentric Teaching Museum | Atlanta | Georgia | 1992 | |
| Oran Z's Black Facts and Wax Museum | Los Angeles | California | 2000 | |
| Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art | Newark | Delaware | 2004 | |
| Philadelphia Doll Museum | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1988 | |
| Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Center | Columbus | Ohio | Planned | |
| Pope House Museum | Raleigh | North Carolina | 2011 | |
| Portsmouth Colored Community Library Museum | Portsmouth | Virginia | 2013 | |
| Prince George's African American Museum and Cultural Center | North Brentwood | Maryland | 2010 | |
| Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum | Savannah | Georgia | 1996 | |
| Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture | Baltimore | Maryland | 2005 | |
| River Road African American Museum | Donaldsonville | Louisiana | 1994 | |
| Rosa Parks Museum | Montgomery | Alabama | 2000 | |
| Rural African American Museum | Opelousas | Louisiana | 2018 | |
| Sandy Ground Historical Museum | New York City (Staten Island) | New York | 1994 | |
| Scott Joplin House State Historic Site | St. Louis | Missouri | 1983 |
| Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center | Scottsboro | Alabama | 2010 | |
| Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum | Memphis | Tennessee | 1997 | |
| Slave Mart Museum | Charleston | South Carolina | 1938 | |
| Smith-Robertson Museum and Cultural Center | Jackson | Mississippi | 1984 | |
| Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum | Tallahassee | Florida | 1976 | |
| Spady Cultural Heritage Museum | Delray Beach | Florida | 2001 | |
| Spelman College Museum of Fine Art | Atlanta | Georgia | 1996 | |
| Springfield and Central Illinois African-American History Museum | Springfield | Illinois | 2012 | |
| Stiles African American Heritage Center | Denver | Colorado | 1998 | Stiles African American Heritage Center |
| Studio Museum in Harlem | New York City (Manhattan) | New York | 1968 | |
| Swift Museum | Rogersville | Tennessee | 2008 | |
| Tangipahoa African American Heritage Museum | Hammond | Louisiana | 2007 | |
| Taylor House Museum of Historic Frenchtown | Tallahassee | Florida | 2011 | |
| Tubman African American Museum | Macon | Georgia | 1981 | |
| Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site | Tuskegee | Alabama | 2008 | |
| Tuskegee Airmen National Museum | Detroit | Michigan | 1987 | |
| Underground Railroad Museum at Belmont Mansion | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 2007 | |
| Weeksville Heritage Center | New York City (Brooklyn) | New York | 2005 | |
| Wells' Built Museum | Orlando | Florida | 2001 | |
| Whitney Plantation | St. John the Baptist Parish | Louisiana | 2014 | |
| Willam V. Banks Broadcast Museum | Detroit | Michigan | 2017 | |
| Zion Union Heritage Museum | Hyannis | Massachusetts | 2008 | |
| Zora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Arts | Eatonville | Florida | 2017 | |
| Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery | Minneapolis | Minnesota | 2018 | |
| Seek Museum | Russellville | Kentucky | 2016 | Bibb House of Seek Museum Russellville Kentucky |