(4) The wax medium has long been recognized 
as a unique and artistic means to record human his-
tory through preservation of the faces and person-
ages of people of prominence, and historically, wax 
exhibits were used to commemorate noted figures in 
ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome, in me-
dieval Europe, and in the art of the Italian renais-
sance. 
(5) The Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc. was 
founded in 1983 by Drs. Elmer and Joanne Martin, 
two Baltimore educators who used their personal 
savings to purchase wax figures, which they dis-
played in schools, churches, shopping malls, and fes-
tivals in the mid-Atlantic region. 
(6) The goal of the Martins was to test public 
reaction to the idea of a Black history wax museum 
and so positive was the response over time that the 
museum has been heralded by the public and the 
media as a national treasure. 
(7) The museum has been the subject of feature 
stories by CNN, the Wall Street Journal, the Balti-
more Sun, the Washington Post, the New York 
Times, the Chicago Sun Times, the Dallas Morning 
News, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Afro
American Newspaper, Crisis, Essence Magazine, and 
others. 
(8) More than 300,000 people from across the 
Nation visit the museum annually. 
(9) The new museum will carry on the time-
honored artistic tradition of the wax medium; in par-
ticular, it will recognize the significant value of this 
medium to commemorate and appreciate great Black 
Americans whose faces and personages are not wide-
ly recognized. 
(10) The museum will employ the most skilled 
artisans in the wax medium, use state-of-the-art 
interactive exhibition technologies, and consult with 
museum professionals throughout the Nation, and 
its exhibits will feature the following: 
(A) Blacks who have served in the Senate 
and House of Representatives of the United 
States, including those who represented con-
stituencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Lou-
isiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Caro-
lina, and Virginia during the 19th century. 
(B) Blacks who have served in the judici-
ary, in the Department of Justice, as prominent 
attorneys, in law enforcement, and in the strug-
gle for equal rights under the law.
(C) Black veterans of various military en-
gagements, including the Buffalo Soldiers and 
Tuskegee Airmen, and the role of Blacks in the 
settlement of the western United States. 
(D) Blacks who have served in senior exec-
utive branch positions, including members of 
Presidents’ Cabinets, Assistant Secretaries and 
Deputy Secretaries of Federal agencies, and 
Presidential advisors. 
(E) Other Blacks whose accomplishments 
and contributions to human history during the 
last millennium and to the Nation through 
more than 400 years are exemplary, including 
Black educators, authors, scientists, inventors, 
athletes, clergy, and civil rights leaders. 
(11) The museum plans to develop collaborative 
programs with other museums, serve as a clearing-
house for training, technical assistance, and other 
resources involving use of the wax medium, and 
sponsor traveling exhibits to provide enriching mu-
seum experiences for communities throughout the 
Nation. 
(12) The museum has been recognized by the 
State of Maryland and the city of Baltimore as a 
preeminent facility for presenting and interpreting
Black history, using the wax medium in its highest 
artistic form. 
(13) The museum is located in the heart of an 
area designated as an empowerment zone, and is 
considered to be a catalyst for economic and cultural 
improvements in this economically disadvantaged 
area. 
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR NATIONAL GREAT BLACKS IN WAX 
MUSEUM AND JUSTICE LEARNING CENTER. 
(a) ASSISTANCE
FOR MUSEUM.—Subject to sub-
section (b), the Attorney General, acting through the Of-
fice of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice, 
shall, from amounts made available under subsection (c), 
make a grant to the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc. 
in Baltimore, Maryland, to pay the Federal share of the 
costs of expanding and creating the National Great Blacks 
in Wax Museum and Justice Learning Center, including 
the cost of its design, planning, furnishing, and equipping. 
(b) GRANT REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under 
subsection (a), the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, 
Inc. shall submit to the Attorney General a proposal 
for the use of the grant, which shall include detailed 
plans for the design, construction, furnishing, and
equipping of the National Great Blacks in Wax Mu-
seum and Justice Learning Center. 
(2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 
the costs described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 
25 percent. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$15,000,000, to remain available until expended.
Æ