A Museum Teaching Black History In The Best Way

Esther Armstrong couldn’t believe Black families visiting her Sankofa African & World Bazaar boutique knew next to nothing of their African heritage.

After observing this identity crisis for years, the Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Culture became not just an idea but a necessity.

She began sharing school lesson plans for Black History Month, but quickly found out that taking only one week to explore the histories, languages, and customs of 54 distinct nations across the continent would never do.

But how would she secure the money needed for the FIRST stand-alone institution of its kind?

Thanks to generous donors, Armstrong and her husband Jim Clemmer raised $50,000 to bring the museum to life.

Soon, Black children tasting foods, playing instruments, hearing stories, and dressing up in clothing native to African countries that connects them to a heritage not taught in schools will be a reality.

Best of all, the institution will help Baltimore youth to connect with a culture other than the “culture of poverty and drug wars” they witness on TV.

Care to visit?

The Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Culture is set to open its doors in the Park Heights area around the Black American-specific holiday of Juneteenth - a day that commemorates the final notice of emancipation shared with enslaved people in the farthest reaches of the United States.