About The Griot Museum of Black History

A griot, in some African countries, is a person who works as a historian and storyteller, collecting tales from the community to preserve and share with future generations. The Griot Museum of Black History began as a wax museum, but the founders quickly realized that they aspired to a higher calling: to collect and preserve the stories of their community. They changed the museum's name to reflect this new mission, and the rest is history.

Speaking of history, the museum still relies on beautifully sculpted wax figures to tell the histories of many notable African-American leaders. Visitors will encounter effigies of Carter G. Woodson, Josephine Baker, and Harriet Scott, along with a number of interactive exhibits added more recently to the collection. Among these exhibits is an authentic slave cabin transported from the Wright-Smith Plantation, as well as a to-scale recreation of a ship's hold dating back to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Additionally, the museum hosts touring exhibitions and live musical performances that explore African-American arts and culture.