As part of Black History Month celebrations, the Downtown North Community Redevelopment Association (CRA), in conjunction with The Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, MD, hosted The National Great Blacks in Wax Exhibit at A.D. Harris Learning Village in Panama City, in late February.
This travelling exhibit was presented to educate the public about African American heritage, and to give a deeper insight of the many significant contributions to civilization made by people of African descent.
The Great Blacks in Wax Museum, the first one of wax in Baltimore, as well as the first wax museum of African American history in the nation, features over 100 wax figures and scenes that depict a 3,000-year record of the contributions and experiences of blacks worldwide.
The mobile exhibit that came to Panama City featured seven figures, picked to fit the theme ‘Making the World Better One Person at a Time’. The collection of life-size, life-like wax figures highlighting historical and contemporary personalities included:
Bessie Coleman (1892-1926), a Pioneer Black Pilot who fought to make a difference in World War 1 to become a pilot.
Norbert Rillieux (1806-1894), an Inventor and Engineer best known for creating a process that helped to refine sugar.
Earle Theodore Shinhoster (1950-2000), a National and International Leader very prominent in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells Barnett, Medger Wylie Evers and his wife Myrlie Evers-Williams, were also represented with wax figures at this free exhibit.
This was an event that my whole family found to be very informative, and a great addition to our Black History learning experience.
For more information about The Great Blacks in Wax Museum, visit their website at www.greatblacksinwax.org
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Angela Small
Student Author - Spring 2018
I am currently a student of Digital Multimedia, and one of the many “Senior” students here at Gulf Coast State College. After living a full life, which included raising 5 children (and 7 grandchildren, to date), I finally had time and opportunity to do something that was just for me. I am an aspiring web designer that is deciding on the direction my career will take., while enjoying all of the different studies within the field. I have a million hobbies, which include writing, collecting dolls, crocheting, and crafting. I enjoy DIY projects with family and friends. Anything that involves creativity, I probably like.
