In 1931, nine Black teenagers—later known as the Scottsboro Boys—were falsely accused of raping two white women, igniting one of the most infamous legal injustices in U.S. history and a global fight for civil rights. Founded in 2010 by the late Shelia Washington, the Scottsboro Boys Museum preserves their story and her legacy, including her pivotal role in securing their posthumous exoneration through the 2013 Scottsboro Boys Act.

In Greensboro, Alabama, stands a house that once shielded Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from the deadly threats of the Ku Klux Klan two weeks before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. Today, the Safe House Black History Museums honors the everyday foot soldiers in the struggle and their sacrifices.

Founded in 1862 as one of the first schools for formerly enslaved people, the Penn Center has long been a cornerstone of Black self-determination on St. Helena Island. Today, it remains a vital force for cultural preservation and land retention in the Gullah Geechee corridor. 

The Gullah Geechee Cultural Community Trust in Nassau County, Florida engages struggles related to land loss, displacement, and the ongoing fight for self-determination. From zoning battles to protecting ancestral burial grounds, they explore what it truly means to preserve not just Black history—but a living future.

The Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project was founded in 2011 to honor the memory of the two million Africans who perished during the transatlantic crossing and the ten million who survived, shaping the Americas through the placement of historical markers and public ceremonies of remembrance across the United States.

A North Philly community saved Henry Ossawa Tanner’s childhood rowhouse and aims to transform it into a community hub where art, faith, culture, and creativity ignite a liberated, heritage-driven future.

Founded in 1887 by formerly enslaved visionaries, Mound Bayou’s museum and living legacy—from trailblazing medical institutions and the 1982 Caravan of Hope to original civil-rights treasures and Hollywood-donated film sets—honor nearly 140 years of Black resilience and self-determination.

In one of Maryland’s last historically Black maritime communities, residents work to turn a humble restaurant into a museum, preserving legacies of industry, resisting gentrification, and igniting STEAM dreams for tomorrow.