17 Great Places to Learn About Black History in the Midwest

If walls could talk, they'd tell you all about the history of Monroe Elementary School – made famous by the monumental Brown v. the Board of Education Supreme Court case that ended segregation in schools. Inside the building, learn about the landmark case and its lasting impact around the world.  

Motown Museum helped launched the careers of famous Black musicians like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Though the museum is temporarily closed for an expansion project (re-opening mid-2022), you can take a virtual stroll down West Grand Boulevard via the museum website's Still Going On exhibition, which celebrates the 50^th anniversary of Gaye's groundbreaking record that confronted racism and uncertainty during the Vietnam War. If you're local (or visiting), head over to the new retail shop location in downtown Detroit to expand your record collection.

In Detroit's Midtown, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is an unparalleled source of African American history and culture that attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year. Catch rotating exhibitions plus mainstays like the Blanche Coggin Underground Railroad Collection, the Harriet Tubman Museum Collection and the Sheffield Collection—a robust compilation of documents chronicling Detroit's labor movement.

On the South Side of Chicago is one of the nation's oldest independent African American museums, and it's about to celebrate its 61^st birthday. The DuSable Museum of African American History has permanent and visiting exhibitions on offer; The March is its latest virtual reality exhibit that invites visitors to (literally) walk through history.

Baseball is deeply rooted in American culture, and Black Americans have played a major role in its popularity. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum commemorates the progress and triumphs of Black Americans being accepted into society through one of America's favorite past times.  

Learn about legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Mary Lou Williams at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City. The museum introduces visitors to the genre's history and significance in African American culture through immersive storytelling and interactive exhibits—including custom mixing boards and artifacts like Charlie Parker's Grafton sax. 

Related: Top Things to Do in Kansas City

If we can reflect on history, we can prevent repetition. Dr. James Cameron, a lynching survivor, held onto that belief throughout his life, and after visiting the Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, he was inspired to open the America's Black Holocaust Museum to share the stories that history overlooked. The museum is temporarily closed but will re-open on February 25. Can't make it to Milwaukee to visit in person? Check out the museum's online galleries.

Related: Top Things to Do in Milwaukee

The Freetown Village in Indianapolis is a symbolic community representing many of the African American settlements scattered across Indiana following the Civil War. This living history museum immerses visitors in the experience of Black Americans around the year 1870, when former slaves gained freedom and began to prosper.

The Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial honors three young men that were falsely accused of rape and lynched in public in 1920. Today, the memorial at the the intersection where they were killed represents the importance of facing the worst of Duluth's collective past.

The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio, holds one of the country's largest collections of African American artifacts. Visit now to catch exhibits like African Americans Fighting for Double Victory, which highlights the important roles African Americans played in World War II; Behind the Mask: Black Power in Comics, a historical look at African Americans in comic books; and Queens of the Heartland, a celebration of Ohio's African American women and their influence in the Suffrage and Civil Rights movements.

Levi and Catherine Coffin's home in Fountain City, Indiana, became known as The Grand Central Station of the Underground railroad because it sheltered more than 1,000 freedom seekers on their way to safety in Canada. Today, it's a museum where visitors can learn about the home's history and explore its secret hiding places. 

The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia in Big Rapids, Michigan, showcases pieces of our former societal culture through exhibitions such as Preserving Hateful Objects, THEM: Images of Separation and more.

Along the north bank of the Ohio River, three buildings represent courage, cooperation and perseverance. Together, they form the Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. Visitors can explore exhibits detailing the journey to freedom (Miles of Bravery), and learn about contemporary issues Black Americans face today (We are the Story; A Visual Response to Racism).

Related: Top Thinsg to Do in Cincinnati

If peanut butter is a staple of your diet, head to Diamond, Missouri, to pay homage to George Washington Carver, the "Peanut Man" himself—and learn all about his agricultural innovations (which include sweet potatoes too!). His birthplace is the first National Park service site dedicated to an African American; it's also home to the George Washington Carver National Monument.

Established in 1877 by newly freed slaves, the town of Nicodemus now boasts a historical society and museum to commemorate the stories and successes of African Americans after settling there. Visit the site for a collection of photographs, preserved handwritten materials and objects that chronicle their lives.

At The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan, learn about the technological innovations that have helped shape the United States, and how African Americans were instrumental to that growth. Step onto the bus where Rosa Parks made history (and even sit in her seat), or take the African American innovation tour.

Housed in the last remaining building of the Lincoln Gardens, the second Federal Housing Project created by Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal in 1938, the Evansville African American Museum is a unique artifact in itself. Step inside this cultural center to browse the Timmy Thomas and Life in 1983 exhibits, plus WonderLab studios, an interactive and child-friendly experience.