Maryland’s Year of Civil Rights

The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and Banneker-Douglass Museum are declaring 2024 as “Maryland’s Year of Civil Rights” with exciting and relevant programming, exhibitions, and partnerships. Stay tuned for updates!

With 2024 being the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act (1964), exciting and relevant programming, exhibitions, and partnerships will commemorate the milestone year of this groundbreaking legislation. From 1964’s Bell vs. Maryland to 1963’s Treaty of Cambridge, Maryland has been the backdrop to civil rights legislation throughout the years. Additionally, Maryland has been the home to civil rights icons who will forever have a place in the history of this nation, such as Verda Freeman Welcome, Thurgood Marshall, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, Walter P. Carter, and Gloria Richardson.

LAUNCH EVENT

OCTOBER 25, 2023 | BANNEKER-DOUGLASS MUSEUM

Wednesday, October 25th, we launched the initiative with a dynamic program featuring special guest speakers Governor Wes Moore, First Lady Dawn Moore, Dr. Edwin T. Johnson, Maryland Commission on African American Heritage and Culture Chair, and Dr. Vedet Coleman-Robinson, Association of African American Museums (AAAM) Executive Director. Performances were given by Baltimore Slam Team and students from The Center for Visual and Performing Arts at Suitland High School, Kamya Chapman-Pearsall and Sanaa Harris. View the livestream recording above to view on YouTube!

MCAAHC & BDM EVENTS

RESOURCES & PARTNERS

• Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area (chesapeakecrossroads.org)
• Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Civil Rights Guide and Black History 365 (visitannapolis.org)
• Explore the Civil Rights Era in Anne Arundel County, MD (arcgis.com)
• Historic Annapolis – Annapolis: An American Story Exhibition (annapolis.org)
• Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Sankofa Mobile Museum (pgparks.com)
• Maryland State Archives – Maryland History (msa.maryland.gov)
• National Park Service Civil Rights Network: African American Civil Rights Network (nps.gov)
• Reginald F. Lewis Museum (lewismuseum.org)
• Maryland Office of Tourism – African American Heritage (visitmaryland.org)

MEDIA TOOLKIT

We invite partner organizations to join us in our celebration of this commemorative year! Please see toolkit resources below, to include logos you can add to your promotional materials, hashtags to use on social media, and (coming soon) a press release template to spread the word about your event or initiative. 

Logos
Download logo files to add to your event or initiative promotional materials.

Download .PNG Files (Transparent)

Programming is supported in part by a grant from the Association of African American Museums (AAAM) and the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights Network (AACRN), of which Banneker-Douglass Museum is currently a member site.