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Upcoming Events

Celebrate Black History Month 365. Know the past, shape the future. See more events.

Absalom Boston & Hannah Cook Statue Unveiling at Colored Cemetery
Nantucket, MA

Commemorate the unveiling of a new monument honoring Absalom Boston, a prominent 19th-century Black whaling captain, and Hannah Cook, a respected member of the community.  

Celebrate their lasting contributions to Black maritime history and the development of free Black communities in New England. Stand together with us as we honor their legacies and carry their impact forward. This event is in partnership with the historic Colored Cemetery Commission. 

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Juneteenth!: A Block Party Celebration
Boston, MA

Joy Street is coming alive from Myrtle Street to Cambridge Street! Unite  with us for an all-day celebration of freedom, culture, and Black joy with a day of festivities at MAAH! 

Get ready for a day filled with hands-on art workshops where creativity becomes a shared experience, powerful music & poetry performances that echo throughout the whole block, and a vendor fair of local artists who keep the community thriving.  

Come fill the block. Come feel the rhythm. Be part of the legacy unfolding in real time. 

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Juneteenth Block Party on Nantucket
Nantucket, MA
York Street will come alive this Juneteenth. ✨
Celebrate a day of music, culture, history, and community with live performances, Black artists and makers, family activities, and local history exhibits, all in the heart of Nantucket.
Presented by the Museum of African American History, the Town of Nantucket, Nantucket Chamber of Commerce, and Nantucket Historical Association, this celebration honors freedom, resilience, creativity, and connection.
Gather in celebration of freedom, honor the stories that shaped our community, and be part of a tradition that continues to inspire generations.
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Explore the Museum & Get Connected

Celebrate Black History Month 365. Know the past, shape the future.

Connect to inspiring, authentic representations of life in the 18th and 19th centuries — in a unique place where Black communities organized and advanced the cause of freedom.

Boston Location

The African Meeting House, a registered National Historic Landmark, and Abiel Smith School on Beacon Hill were built in the early 1800s and are two of the museum's most valuable assets. Located steps away from the Massachusetts State House.

Explore Boston

Nantucket Location

Explore our Nantucket campus, which features two historic sites, the African Meeting House and the Florence Higginbotham House. These buildings were at the center of a thriving nineteenth-century African American community on the island.

Explore Nantucket

We understand the importance of remembering our history.

Welcome to The Museum of African American History! We are New England’s largest museum dedicated to preserving, conserving and interpreting the contributions of African Americans. In Boston and Nantucket, the Museum has preserved two historic sites and two Black Heritage Trails® that tell the story of organized Black communities from the Colonial Period through the 19th century. Exhibits, programs, and education activities at the Museum showcase the powerful stories of Black families who worshipped, educated their children, debated the issues of the day, produced great art, organized politically and advanced the cause of freedom.

About the Museum

"In every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance."

Plan Your Visit

1

Reserve Your Ticket

Choose a date, reserve your ticket, and learn something new every time you visit.

Reserve a Ticket
2

Experience the Museum (Virtually)

Explore exhibits, sign-up for a customized talk or schedule a tour, and discover the stories of courageous Americans on a guided walking tour of the Museum’s Black Heritage Trails®.

3

Leave Inspired & Empowered

Continue the conversation and share the authentic stories of New Englanders of African descent, and those who found common cause with them, in their quest for freedom and justice.

"For over 200 years, the African Meeting House has served as one of the nation’s most important and influential centers of cultural and political discourse around racial equality. Today, the Museum of African American History invokes this important history—in the very place it happened—to open new conversations around racial equity... and expand its narrative of Black and other social justice activists. … and underscore how their courage, as they united across race and class in the struggle for human rights, ushered in modern democracy."

Become a Member Today

Your vital contribution supports the Museum's education programs, research and exhibitions, and historic preservation of some of the nation's most important National Historic Landmarks throughout the year. Join us as we continue to make American history.

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