Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery

05/31/2026

05/31/2026

05/28/2026

Celebrating Educators. Thank you for knowing History Matters!
“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” – Malcolm X.

MAAHMG Guest Book
"This is an amazing experience. Thank you! K. Dickson, MN.
"I appreciate learning here....." A. Clarke, New London, CT.

05/28/2026

Thank you Longfellow High School students and staff for coming to the MAAHMG today.
We salute all teachers and their support staffs, and the great work they are doing to help students excel and graduate to the next level in life.
MAAHMG.org!

05/28/2026

It’s time to give them their flowers!

The Golden Fourteen made history during World War I as the first Black women to serve in the U.S. Navy, paving the way even when their contributions went overlooked for far too long.

05/26/2026

Rise & Remembrance is truly a community gathering for neighbors from all surrounding communities. As the day cooled the street filled with laughing children, chatting parents, the smells of great food and diverse vendors. George Floyd would be smiling. This is what a community and city looks like.
The MAAHMG was there for this annual celebration, observance and legacy of George Floyd.
Lots of new faces and fresh interests in the Museum. Summer is here!
MAAHMG.org!

05/26/2026

The origin of Memorial Day trace back to 1865 when freed slaves started a tradition to honor fallen Union soldiers and to celebrate emancipation and commemorate those who died for that cause.
In 1865, black people in Charleston, South Carolina, held a series of memorials & rituals to honor unnamed fallen Union soldiers and celebrate the struggle against slavery. One of the largest memorial took place on May 1st 1865.
As the civil war ended, confederates had converted the city’s Washington Race Course & Jockey Club into an outdoor prison. Union captives were kept in horrid conditions and at least 257 died of disease and were quickly buried in a mass grave behind the grandstand.
After the Confederate evacuation of Charleston, black workmen went to the mass grave site, reburied the Union dead properly & built a high fence around the cemetery.
They whitewashed the fence and built an archway over an entrance on which they inscribed the words, “Martyrs of the Race Course.”
The freed black people, who then, in cooperation with white missionaries and teachers, staged a parade of 10,000 on the track. The procession was led by 3,000 black schoolchildren carrying armloads of roses and singing the Union marching song “John Brown’s Body.”
Several hundreds of black women followed with baskets of flowers, wreaths & crosses. Then came black men marching in, followed by contingents of Union infantrymen.
Within the cemetery black children’s choir sang before a series of black ministers read from the Bible.
After the dedication, the crowd dispersed into the infield and did what many of us do on Memorial Day: enjoyed picnics, listened to speeches and watched soldiers drill.
Among the full brigade of Union infantrymen participating were the famous 54th Massachusetts and the 34th and 104th United States Colored Troops, who performed a special double-columned march around the gravesite.

05/20/2026

Day Two, Group 2 from Lakeville High South touring African American history in Minnesota at the MAAHMG. The students came very well schooled on the achievements and challenges of black Minnesotans starting from the 1800s.

Again, thank you to teachers for putting students at the head of the line in learning the essentials as we approach the country’s 250th Anniversary. The MAAHMG is related to many spaces of history, art, and culture.

Also, thank you for guiding students through the challenges of this year. As it has been said before, not all heroes wear capes! MAAHMG.org!

05/19/2026

Thank you Lakeville High School South for visiting the MAAHMG. A great group that had studied the history and experience of African Americans in Minnesota.
We Salute All Teachers and administrators as they close out the school year. What a year it has been and continues to be for many instructors and their students. You all have stood up to the challenge!

05/14/2026

Great seeing Homeschooling groups use the Museum as an educational resource. You can always schedule a tour or self tour with our history scavenger hunt challenge board. Contact us at [email protected] or go to MAAHMG.org Visit. See you soon!