For the purposes of full disclosure, I should mention that I have a long-standing interest in African Americans in Pennsylvania, and in Philadelphia more specifically. In college, I completed a major research project about black church building and community development between 1780 and 1830. This interest was my motivation for planning my trip to the museum.
What a worthwhile trip! The museum provided a great overview of the history of African Americans in Philadelphia, which reminded me of some things I had long forgotten, and taught me some new ones. The second of the four galleries had eight or so videos of actors telling the stories of various individuals from Philadelphia. These seemed to be a big hit; I saw many visitors sit and watch each of the videos closely before moving on. The third gallery had a collection of artwork by local African American artists.
The fourth gallery, however, was by far the best. That gallery is currently home to a traveling exhibit called "381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story." The text recounts the time line of the boycott. The exhibit also has a fantastic video collection of oral histories from the civil rights era. These stories are moving and extremely important. I found myself watching at least forty five minutes of the video before leaving the museum. Everyone should watch the video.
My only complaint about the museum is very minor - Pittsburgh was spelled incorrectly (the "h" was missing) on several signs.
But go to the African American Museum! It is a history museum that remains highly relative and informative.
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