Founded in 1976 as the nation’s first city built museum based on the history and culture of African Americans in the U.S., Philadelphia’s African American Museum continues to be a leading learning center. Established to interpret, present, and enlighten visitors on the history and culture of African Americans over the course of America’s history, this museum covers everything from life during colonial times, slavery, Civil Rights, art and entertainment, innovators, literature and more.
Combining documents with photographic collections, artwork, film and video recordings, artifacts, and more, the African American Museum presents a collective and comprehensive view of culture and history. The Jack T. Franklin Collection is one of the defining acquisitions and includes over 500,000 negatives and photographs from the photographer’s lifetime including the Civil Rights Movement. Here we can see African American life and history evolve through the eyes of a camera, images captured forever to be glimpsed from afar.
Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia 1776-1876 is a central permanent collection based around a narrated timeline that follows 100 years of history and life. Images and documents build a picture of colonial life for African Americans in Pennsylvania as do the ten full-size video projections of colonial people who answer questions about what life was like for them. The Children’s Corner is a fun, interactive space for children to learn about how kids just like them lived in the 18th century.
The African American Museum is open Thursday-Saturday from 10-5 pm and Sunday from noon-5 pm.