This is the museum’s lobby. From here you can choose which gallery to enter.
There are six galleries that tell the story of the Black Holocaust in chronological order from life in Africa before slavery to life in present-day USA.
About ABHM Gallery tells the story of the museum and its founder, who survived a lynching.
Each gallery has a home page that lists all its current exhibits – and a peek at planned exhibits.
Explore the galleries in order – or start in one and jump to another by pulling down the Galleries menu on the navigation bar above. Stories within each gallery contain links, so you can follow interconnected stories from one exhibit to another. Or from one gallery to another.
The museum is constantly adding exhibits. Cyberspace is virtually infinite, so you will always find your favorite exhibits alongside the new ones.
Galleries
One Year Later Sophie Kloppenburg Continues to Inspire
One year has passed since Sophie Kloppenburg and her supporters successfully installed a memorial bench and sign concerning the 1878 lynching of seven back men in Posey County, Indiana. If you thought that was the end of this story, it was not. Because, one year later, Sophie continues to inspire.
Read MoreWhen Jim Crow Lived In Wisconsin
These postcards were mailed to and from Wisconsin residents from 1904 to 1942. Their stereotyped pictures of African Americans were very common and accepted. Such cards were sent openly, without comment or embarrassment.
Read MoreFinding Myself Inspired by a Modern Day Teenage Activist
After 144 years of silent indifference, seven African American men lynched in October 1878 are officially recognized with a memorial bench and sign in Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Thanks to Sophie Kloppenburg, a true inspiration, we will never forget.
Read MorePortraiture of Resistance
Resist! Exhibit features the artistic portraits of prominent resistance leaders. Poetry creatively walks the audience through the exhibit and our historical journey towards a more just and balanced world.
Read MoreLett’s Stand Against Debt Peonage Cost His Life
A genealogist, teacher, and writer from Alabama became interested in Lett’s story when teaching middle school students genealogy, ELA, and social studies. She took them on a field trip to EJI’s Lynching Memorial, where they saw Oliver Lett’s name and realized that he was an ancestor of many of her students.
Read MoreEarly African Women: Hunters, Warriors, & Rulers
The fascinating stories about the surprising roles some women played in several African societies.
Read MoreEnslaved Peoples in African Societies Before the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Slavery in Africa originated as the rewards of war and a punishment for criminals. People were not commonly born into slavery. Unlike in the Americas, Slavery was not automatically passed from parents to children. People enslaved in African societies often gained freedom before the end of their lives. At times they even became equal family members with those who once enslaved them.
Read MoreThree of the World’s Most Influential Empires: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai
These West African empires controlled more wealth and conducted more global trade than did any European power during their time in history. They also left lasting, influential contributions to the world’s knowledge base, art, culture, and religion.
Read MoreFounding the New Free Black Community
Millions of freed Black Americans built their own communities across the South post-Civil War. They worked to establish a life of freedom and prosperity for themselves and future generations. Schooling, church, and family were important pillars of community-building. They meant to enjoy their freedom to live with family, unite in marriage, raise children, worship in the open, and educate the next generation.
Read MoreHow African Americans Changed the Meaning of the Civil War
Actions by Black folk changed the meaning of the Civil War, turning it from a war to preserve a white government into a war to destroy the institution of slavery.
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