African American Heritage Guide

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 10:51:15 +0000

Having escaped slavery in 1849, Harriet Tubman became a celebrated “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, which was a secret network of trails, waterways and sanctuaries used by enslaved people seeking freedom. Today, you can experience this landscape by traveling the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. The byway provides many opportunities to bike, get out on the water, or stop in towns that offer ample opportunities to shop and dine along the 125-mile long, self-guided driving tour with a downloadable audio guide and mobile app. Be sure not to miss these places along the way.

"There was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death. If I could not have one, I would have the other. —Harriet Tubman"
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Enjoy a Thriving Cultural Legacy

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 10:50:29 +0000

Some of the most memorable African-American cultural attractions in the country are in Maryland, and it all begins with our biggest city, Baltimore. Here, you will find museums, parks and other destinations celebrating the likes of Mother Mary Lange and music legends Eubie Blake, Chick Webb and Cab Calloway.

View works by contemporary African-American artists at The Baltimore Museum of Art or the Maryland Historical Society Museum, which also displays rare portraits by Baltimorean Joshua Johnson. The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum takes visitors on a unique journey with lifelike exhibits spanning centuries. Then visit the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture. Just a short walk from Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor, the museum has an acclaimed permanent collection that focuses on Maryland’s African-American experience.

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Discover an Enduring Heritage

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 10:47:10 +0000

Steeped in tradition and rich in diversity, Maryland is truly reflective of the colors and complexities of the great people who have called it home.

This guide is your passport to the Maryland African-American experience — the undertakings, accomplishments and sacrifices, past and present, that have shaped a state and influenced a nation. It’s the story of a resilient people and their deeply rooted traditions. It’s a tale of triumphs, sorrows, joys and hardships as spoken by Frederick Douglass, written by Frances E.W. Harper, played by Eubie Blake and mapped by Benjamin Banneker. Their words and deeds, as well as the actions of countless others, continue to impact all walks of life.

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Welcome

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 10:45:54 +0000

From musicians and abolitionists to scientists and statesmen, African-American Marylanders have made indelible contributions to the history and culture of our great state. Starting with Maryland’s very founding and carrying through to today, their impact has been felt around the state, across the country and even overseas. Use this guide filled with Maryland stories of struggle, pride and triumph.

Begin your journey in Southern Maryland to learn of Mathias de Sousa, a man of African descent and one of Maryland’s founding colonists. Though he arrived in 1634 as an indentured servant, de Sousa became a member of the state’s governing body as a free man.

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Step Back in Time

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 08:33:52 +0000

From the rugged mountains of Western Maryland to the rushing waters of the Potomac River, across the magnificent Chesapeake Bay to the most charming Eastern Shore towns, you can uncover compelling stories of the people and places that helped shape life for African Americans.

Begin at an unassuming farmhouse near the Antietam National Battlefield, where abolitionist John Brown prepared for his ill-fated, pre-Civil War raid of Harpers Ferry. From there, move closer to Washington, D.C., where many sites in Maryland’s Capital Region — such as reconstructed foundations of two slave quarters at Northampton Plantation Archaeological Park — remain as testaments to the early sacrifices of African Americans.

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