Upcoming Events
Celebrate Black History Month 365. Know the past, shape the future. See more events.
- Jun 3, 2026
- 6:00 pm–8:00 pm
- 46 Joy Street
Reading Between The Stones: Interpreting Edmonia Lewis through an LGBTQ+ Lens
Boston, MAThis panel brings together curators, a journalist, and a theatre-maker whose work spans museums, media, performance, and community — each bringing a distinct lens to the life and legacy of Edmonia Lewis.
Reading Between the Stones takes its name from the practice queer historians know well: learning to see what the archive doesn’t say — to read between the lines; in Lewis’s case, between the stones.
This panel asks not whether Lewis belongs to queer history — but what it means to claim her, how to honor the full complexity of her life, and what it looks like when curators, journalists, and artists bring that history home.
Join Queer History Boston and the Museum of African American History for an evening of community, history, and reclamation.
- Jun 6, 2026
- 10:00 am–11:00 am
- 46 Joy Street
Saturdays with Sheila: Yoga at MAAH
Boston, MAUnwind this June and ground yourself in the warmth of the summer season with yogi Sheila Thorne! Refresh your mind, body, and spirit with a morning of mindfulness and yoga. Bring an open mind and a moment for yourself. Arrive early to secure a mat or bring your own. All experience levels are welcome!
- Jun 6, 2026
- 11:00 am–1:00 pm
- 46 Joy Street
BOOK TALK: Reclaiming a Legacy: Bucky Lew & The Integration of Basketball
Boston, MABefore the names widely recognized in sports history, Harry “Bucky” Lew was breaking barriers. He integrated professional basketball in 1902 and college basketball in 1903 and later became one of the first Black referees and team owners in the sport. His contributions helped advance the broader movement toward full integration in major league athletics.
Learn more about the life and legacy of Bucky Lew through this book talk and Q&A featuring biographer Chris Boucher and Lew’s granddaughter Wendy Johnson, who will share insight into the life and legacy of a pioneering figure in basketball history. A book signing will follow.
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.
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.
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.
"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
Reserve Your Ticket
Choose a date, reserve your ticket, and learn something new every time you visit.
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®.
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.