Living History
Baltimore Attractions to Further Your Education
By 2026 , Afro Charities is slated to open a state-of-the-art research center to house the AFRO Archives and to serve as the headquarters for both Afro Charities and AFRO News . The chosen venue , the historic Upton Mansion , is located in Old West Baltimore — the nation ’ s largest federally recognized Black historic district and the former home of many of Baltimore ’ s prominent civil rights luminaries , including Thurgood Marshall and Parren Mitchell .
Until then , the AFRO ’ s rich collection is on display at several Baltimore museums and cultural spaces . Rare AFRO publications and images are used to tell the story of past and present African American Marylanders at the Reginald F . Lewis Museum in downtown Baltimore . You ’ ll find a replica of AFRO founder John H . Murphy , Sr .’ s office at the waterfront Baltimore Museum of Industry , whose Forging Progress tour connects Baltimore ’ s civil rights and labor movements through thoughtful discussions of slavery , segregation , Jim Crow and more .
You can also say hello to John Murphy and his daughter-in-law Vasthi Turley Murphy , as well as other civil rights activists , at the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum . Learn more about second-generation AFRO leader Carl Murphy and his relationship with Lillie Carroll Jackson at the Lillie Carroll Jackson Museum , housed in the Bolton Hill rowhome where she once lived . Next , head to the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Mount Vernon , where Passion and Purpose : Voices of Maryland ’ s Civil Rights Activists features extensive reporting from longtime AFRO writer Moses J .
Newson , who risked his life while covering national protests , legal cases and other civil rights issues for the newspaper .
The AFRO ’ s archives appear at several outdoor attractions as well . You ’ ll find them cited on an information panel near MacArthur Fellow Joyce J . Scott ’ s art installation at Pool # 2 in Druid Hill Park , historically the only recreational and competitive swimming facility for Black Baltimoreans . Or pop over to the Rawlings Conservatory and encounter a placard that describes the park ’ s formerly segregated tennis courts using images from the AFRO ’ s collection . Want to dive
BRIDGING PEOPLE TO deeper ? Consider booking Baltimore National Heritage Area ’ s Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Trail tour , on which you ’ ll hear Black stories once only amplified by the AFRO .
If you ’ re looking for some good plane or train reading to continue your studies on your way back home , stop by Black-owned bookstores Urban Reads or Vinyl & Pages to pick up Antonia Hylton ’ s “ Madness ,” Dr . Martha S . Jones ’ s “ Birthright Citizens ,” Dennis Patrick Halpern ’ s “ Brotherhood of Liberty ,” or Dr . Lawrence Brown ’ s “ The Black Butterfly .” You ’ ll be sure to find the AFRO cited in the footnotes .
From the inspiring individuals who looked injustice in the eye to the resilient newspaper that documented their fight , Baltimore ’ s impact on the Civil Rights Movement cannot be overstated . VB
THERE ’ S SO MUCH HISTORY FOR YOU TO DISCOVER ACROSS OUR MUSEUMS , PARKS AND NEIGHBORHOODS . Scan the QR code to learn more and download our free BoP Pass to unlock exclusive discounts to cultural attractions and Black-owned businesses .
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