Washington, DC

National Museum for African American History & Culture Site
DESCRIPTION: (Under Construction) This primae 5-acre site on The Mall will house priceless artifacts, documents and recordings of the cultural contributions African Americans made to every facet of American life in our 400 years of struggle and progress; the museum will unify and strengthen special exhibits carried by other Smithsonian Museums, as such, it will include exhibits of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Brown vs. Board of Education, African American Art and Music, African American Spoken Recordings and Literature and the Barack Obama Presidency; though funds are committed, the site is now in the Analysis & Modeling phase, so there is no completion estimate as yet
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: TBD
ADDRESS: 15th Street NW at Constitution Ave, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: Federal Triangle station
PARKING: garage nearby

PHONE: 202-633-7369
WEBSITE: http://nmaahc.si.edu

National Museum of African Art
DESCRIPTION: Founded 1964 as a private institution, this modern multi-level museum is built mostly underground; it joined the Smithsonian Institution in 1979; features world class artwork from more than 900 sub-Saharan African cultures; also features the Warren M. Robbins Library of more than 20,000 volumes on African art and culture, plus archives for more 300,000 photographs and many documentary films/videos
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 10a-5:30p
ADDRESS: 950 Independence Ave, SW  MAP
TRANSIT: Smithsonian station

PARKING: garage nearby
PHONE: 202-357-4600
WEBSITE: http://www.nmafa.si.edu

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Site
DESCRIPTION: (Under Construction) the memorial will commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in pursuit of The American Dream — Freedom, Democracy and Opportunity for All; located on four-acres of the northwest corner of the Tidal Basin
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS:  TBD
ADDRESS: Tidal Basin opposite Jefferson Memorial  MAP
TRANSIT: tour bus is best option; a brisk walk from Smithsonian station

PARKING: on street
WEBSITE: http://www.mlkmemorial.org

Benjamin Banneker Memorial & Fountain
DESCRIPTION: An elongated circular fountain honoring the self-taught genius astronomer, surveyor, mathematician, engineer, scientific farmer, abolitionist, publisher and maker of the first striking clock of wood in America; in 1792, he published the Banneker Almanac used by farmers, merchants and educators throughout America; when Pierre L’Enfant quit the job before finishing the landscape design of the District of Columbia, Banneker provided the astronomical calculations for the project, and along with Major Andrew Ellicott, he co-surveyed the area and reconstructed the plans for street layout we see today; Banneker authored the first publicly documented protest letter denouncing the Bill of Rights as disingenuous -- it was written to then Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, at a time when most of the “Founding Fathers” were slave-owners; Banneker Institute is congressionally authorized to fundraise a major enhancement and enlargement of the memorial
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: L'Enfant Promenade & Maine Ave, SW  MAP
TRANSIT: L'Enfant Plaza station

PARKING: garage nearby
WEBSITE: http://www.bannekermemorial.org

National Council of Negro Women Headquarters
DESCRIPTION: Founded 1935 by Mary McLeod Bethune; national headquarters recently moved into this dual-spired 6 story corner structure to accommodate new initiatives; Dr. Dorothy I Height took the organization to higher heights as president for more than 25 years
ADMISSION: tours by appt
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Fri 9a-5p
ADDRESS: 633 Pennsylvania Ave, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: Archives-Navy Memorial station

PARKING: garage nearby
PHONE: 202-737-0120
WEBSITE: http://www.ncnw.org

The Links Headquarters
DESCRIPTION: Founded 1946; this distinctive corner building hosts an African American women's social organization with a positive purpose in the communities they serve
ADMISSION: apptonly
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Fri 9a-5p by appt
ADDRESS: 1200 Massachusetts Ave, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: Mount Vernon Square-Convention Center station

PARKING: garage nearby
PHONE: 202-842-8686
WEBSITE: http://www.linksinc.org

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library
DESCRIPTION: Dedicated to the slain civil rights leader, the library's Black Studies Division contains the finest collection of DC history as well as a dramatic mural depicting the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Thu 9:30a-9p, Fri-Sat 9:30a-5:30p, Sun 1p-5p
ADDRESS: 901 G Street, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: Gallery Place-Chinatown station

PARKING: garage nearby
PHONE: 202-727-0321
WEBSITE: weblink

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Headquarters
DESCRIPTION: Founded 1913; national headquarters for this distinguished sorority
ADMISSION: by appt
DAYS & HOURS:  Mon-Fri 8:30a-5p
ADDRESS: 1707 New Hampshire Ave, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: DuPont Circle station

PARKING: on street
PHONE: 202-986-2400
WEBSITE: http://www.deltasigmatheta.org

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Headquarters
DESCRIPTION: Founded 1920; national headquarters of an equally distinguished sorority
ADMISSION: by appt
DAYS & HOURS:  Mon-Fri 8a-5p
ADDRESS: 1734 New Hampshire Ave, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: DuPont Circle station

PARKING: on street
PHONE: 202-387-3103
WEBSITE: http://www.zphib1920.org

Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey Statue
DESCRIPTION: A 12-feet high steel and glass stained interpretative statue inspired by ancestral art from Gabon, Africa; sculptor A. Uzikee Nelson
DAYS & HOURS: sunrise to sunset
ADDRESS: Meridian HillPark at W Street, NW & 16th Street, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: U Street-Cardozo station
PARKING: on street

Duke Ellington School for the Arts
DESCRIPTION: A high school renamed in honor of Duke Ellington, it is one of the nation's most distinguished high schools for the arts
ADMISSION: by appt
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Fri 9a-5p
ADDRESS: 35th Street & R Street, NW  MAP
PARKING: on premises and street

PHONE: 202-282-0123
WEBSITE: http://www.ellingtonschool.org

Asa Philip Randolph Memorial
DESCRIPTION: Organized the 1963 March on Washington and founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; located in the Amtrak boarding area in Union Station
DAYS & HOURS: daily, 24 hours
ADDRESS: 50 Massachusetts Ave, NE  MAP
TRANSIT: Union Station station

PARKING: on premises

Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial
DESCRIPTION: Bethune (1875-1955) founded the Daytona Normal Industrial Institute for Negro Girls with just $1.50, later became Bethune-Cookman College; 1st president of the National Association of Colored Women in 1935; served as VP of NAACP and was awarded a Spingarn Medal for her work to uplift the race; she was honored with the 1st monument to an African American in DC
DAYS & HOURS: daily, 24 hours
ADDRESS: Lincoln Park on East Capitol Street, NE  MAP
TRANSIT: Eastern Market station
PARKING: on street

Emancipation Statue
DESCRIPTION: By modern sensibilities, this difficult to embrace statue was the first of its kind and paid for by funds from freed slaves; it shows President Lincoln in a patronizing stance over the likeness of Archer Alexander, the last man captured under the Fugitive slave Law
DAYS & HOURS: daily, 24 hours
ADDRESS: Lincoln Park on East Capitol Street, NE  MAP
TRANSIT: Eastern Market station
PARKING: on street

Market 5 Gallery
DESCRIPTION: With an African American Director for the last 25 years, this multicultural arts organization sponsors programs that encompass all visual and performing arts, crafts, and literary disciplines; its mission is to encourage the creative expression of DC’s artists and arts organizations by providing an affordable environment to exhibit, perform and sell their work
ADMISSION: fee
DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Fri 11a-5p,
 Sat-Sun 10a-5p
ADDRESS: 7th Street and North Carolina Ave, SE  MAP
TRANSIT: Eastern Market station
PARKING: on street

PHONE: 202-543-7293
WEBSITE: http://www.market5gallery.org

Howard University
DESCRIPTION: Founded by Congress in 1867 and named after Freedmen's Bureau commissioner, General Oliver O Howard; with over 10,000 students and a student/faculty ratio of 7:1, Howard counts Andrew Young, Thurgood Marshall, and Patricia R Harris among its long list of distinguished alumni; the Moreland-Spingarn Research Center within Founder's Library contains one of the world's largest history and cultural collections about the African Diaspora
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: 2400 6th Street, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: Shaw-Howard University station

PARKING: on premises and street
PHONE: 202-806-2900 tours and 202-806-6100 office
WEBSITE: http://www.howard.edu

Freedman's Hall Gallery of Art
DESCRIPTION: Exhibition gallery celebrating Howard University Hospital's past, present achievements; a permanent educational and cultural site provides visitors with a compelling way to explore how African Americans contribute to health care; located in Howard University Hospital
ADMISSION: fee
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: 2041 Georgia Ave, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: Shaw-Howard University station

PARKING: on premises and street
PHONE: 202-865-1471 or 202-865-6241
WEBSITE: http://www.huhosp.org

BET Headquarters
DESCRIPTION: In the bold spirit of an entrepreneur, Robert Johnson obtained political backing from a Congressman and seed funding from media magnate to launch Black entertainment television in 1980; BET's corporate holding company sold a controlling interest to Viacom in 2000 for $3 billion
ADMISSION: appt only
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: 1900 W Place, NE  MAP
TRANSIT: Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood station
PARKING: on premises

PHONE: 202-608-2000
WEBSITE: http://www.bet.com

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Headquarters
DESCRIPTION: Founded 1914; national headquarters for a distinguished blue and white fraternity
ADMISSION: appt only
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Fri 8-5p
ADDRESS: 145 Kennedy Street at 1st Street, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: brisk walk from Fort Totten station

PARKING: street
PHONE: 202-726-5434
WEBSITE: http://www.pbs1914.org

Lincoln Theatre
DESCRIPTION: Built in 1921 as a first-run movie house for African Americans, it is a significant collaboration between noted theater designer Reginald Geare and Harry Crandall, a leading Washington theater operator; today its fully restored and DC's primary venue for national touring plays featuring African American themes and for medium size concerts for big name stars
ADMISSION: event-based fee
DAYS & HOURS: see website calendar or call
ADDRESS: 1215 U Street, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: U Street-Cardoza station

PARKING: garage nearby
PHONE: 202-328-6000
WEBSITE: http://www.thelincolntheatre.org

Duke Ellington Mural
DESCRIPTION: An inviting 24 by 32-foot mural of Duke Ellington in a pensive moment invites all to explore the rich culture and history of the Shaw District; symbolically, the mural recalls Duke’s performances at the Lincoln Theatre; muralist G. Byron Peck
DAYS & HOURS: daily 24/7
ADDRESS: 13th and U Streets  MAP
TRANSIT: U Street-Cardoza station
PARKING: on street

African American Civil War Memorial
DESCRIPTION: A stunning semi-circular three-foot high wall of steel plaques with names honoring 185,000 United States Colored Troops and their white officers in the Civil War; designed sculptor Ed Hamilton and site architects Paul S. Devrouax & Ed Dunson
DAYS & HOURS: daily 24/7
ADDRESS: 1000 U Street, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: U Street-Cardoza station
PARKING: on street

WEBSITE: http://www.afroamcivilwar.org

African American Civil War Memorial Museum
DESCRIPTION: The first and only museum for United States Colored Troops in the Civil War; find photographs, newspaper articles, and replicas of period clothing, uniforms and weaponry and so much more; today it houses the Family Heritage Center enabling visitors to trace genealogical records of those who served; offers Family Reunion Planning Service; a US Colored Troop descendent visits every month to share stories
ADMISSION: fee
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Fri
 10a-5p,
 Sat
 10a-2p
ADDRESS: 1200 U Street, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: U Street-Cardoza station

PARKING: garage nearby
PHONE: 202-667-2667
WEBSITE: http://www.afroamcivilwar.org

Black Fashion Museum
DESCRIPTION: The only museum of its kind in America; the Harlem branch closed, but merged its property into this institution; Now contain nearly 4,000 historic garments by Black designers and/or worn by Black celebrities
ADMISSION: fee + appt only 10a-3p
DAYS & HOURS:  Mon-Wed & Fri-Sat
ADDRESS: 2007 Vermont Ave, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: U Street-Cardoza station
PARKING: on street

PHONE: 202-667-0744
WEBSITE: none

Thurgood Marshall Center and Shaw Heritage Trust
DESCRIPTION: In the newly renovated Anthony Bowen YMCA designed by W. Sidney Pittman, one of the nation's first African American architects; Thurgood Marshall Center provides services for at-risk children and families; Thurgood Marshall formulated his opinion for the monumental 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision in this building; museum of The Shaw Heritage Trust located on the first floor, preserves and interprets the history of African Americans in the Shaw district
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: 1816 12th Street, NW  MAP
TRANSIT: U Street-Cardoza station
PARKING: street

PHONE: 202-462-8686
WEBSITE: http://www.thurgoodmarshallcenter.org

Anacostia Museum
DESCRIPTION: Interprets the local African American experience; hosts major photographic exhibits and can arrange a tour of underground railroad sites; composed a documentary "Speak To My Heart - The African American Church" chronicles the historical treatment of Black churches; George Washington Carver Nature Trail begins at the museum
ADMISSION: fee
DAYS & HOURS: daily 10a-5p
ADDRESS: 1901 Fort Place at Fort Stanton, SE  MAP
TRANSIT: not close

PARKING: on premises
PHONE: 202-633-4820
WEBSITE: http://anacostia.si.edu

St Martin de Porres Statue
DESCRIPTION: One of the earliest statues of a Black saint; located at the entrance to our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
DAYS & HOURS: dawn to dusk
ADDRESS: 1600 Morris Road, SE  MAP
PARKING: on premises

Largo, MD

Magic Johnson Theatre
DESCRIPTION: A 12-screen cineplex in the Magic Johnson franchise anchors the 480,000 square foot Boulevard at Capital Centre Entertainment Complex
ADMISSION: fee per movie
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: 800 Shoppers Way  MAP
PARKING: on premises