Have you ever heard of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture? No, yes, well It is located in Baltimore Maryland. It is the vision of African-American Reginald F. Lewis. Lewis Who grew up in the rough neighborhoods of Baltimore, had a desire to give back to his community and the Country. He attended Virginal State University on a football scholarship. He unfortunately had that scholarship dissolved due to an injury. In 1961, the Rockefeller foundation founded a program which gifted a select number of African Americans to attend summer school at Harvard.
He was one of the first in over 148 years to ever be admitted to Harvard before applying. It was during his first year at Harvard when he discovered his interest in securities law. He received his law degree in 1968. Just two years shy of Graduating; He established the first African American law group on Wall Street. This was no easy feat and quite remarkable considering he started at Harvard with less than $10 in his pocket. The museum that had featured a new display space in June 2010, the "Red Wall of Freedom”, which consists of several donors to the Museum. The donor list has well over 1500 names.
The museum facilities include the large Learning Center which is a space that delves into the history of a People. The experience of Black Americans in Baltimore and beyond. There are several touch screen computers and even internet access for all inquiring minds. There is also an Oral resource department. The recording and listening studio consists of stories, passages from books, history facts told by many famous and not so famous Black Americans. Inside is a state of the art 200 seat theatre which hosts many plays , theatrical plays, dance, musical events and much more.
You can rent several rooms to conduct business meetings, galas. The resource center is free to access on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 to 4:00pm. The Reginald F. Lewis museum is located on 830 East Pratt Street in Baltimore. The hours of operation are: Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm Sunday, Noon to 5pm Thursdays noon to 5pm(June to August).
There is a gift shop on the premises, if you want to bring home a souvenir or some memorial for a friend or classroom. So, if you are stopping in for a little update or new found knowledge of American history. With all the resources available in one building it is indeed a great information hub that reaches far beyond Baltimore.
General Information:
Reginald F. Lewis Museum
830 E. Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
443-263-1800
410-333-1138 fax
emailus@maamc.org
