3 Must-See Black History Landmarks in Maryland

By Dejah Miles
Spectrum Staff Writer

     Black History Month is a time when people can further immerse themselves in Black culture and inform themselves of Black history.

     How does one celebrate Black history? Luckily in Maryland, there are many historical landmarks in America that many people might have overlooked without knowing. Many are worth visiting, but here are three unique landmarks students should visit.

      To start off we should look at Mathew Henson who was born in Charles County. According to thebaynet.com, Henson was born in 1866 in Nanjemoy, Charles County, and died in 1955 as an accomplished polar explorer, craftsman, and author. In honor of his legacy, a middle school in Charles County, Mathew A. Henson Middle School, was named after him in 1969. There’s also a monument in Arlington National Cemetery and a plaque memorial plaque in Annapolis that honor Henson.

      Henson who was the only Black man in the group of explorers, and the first African American to make it to the North Pole. According to National Geographic, Henson was the one operating the dogsled and was the first to reach the actual site. Later in his life, Henson would go on tour lecturing many people about his adventures and write a book about his explorations titled, “A Negro Explorer at the North Pole."       

     Next, we have the Memorial of Kunta Kinte in historic Annapolis that portrays Alex Haley, the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book,  “Roots,” honoring his ancestor, Kunta Kinte. The bronze statue was designed by a nationally acclaimed African American sculptor Ed Dwight. According to, “The Roots of Alex Haley,” a BBC television documentary Kunta Kinte was Haley’s ancestor, a Gambian man who was born in 1750, enslaved, and taken to America where he died. Haley’s book “Roots” was made into an award-wining miniseries that garnered millions of viewers during its weeklong run in 1977.

    The book is said to have raised public awareness of Black American history and inspired a broad interest in genealogy and family history for many African Americans. Bruce Jackson, a forensic DNA scientist with positions at Mass Bay Community College and Boston University, has even launched a research program called “The Roots Project” to help African Americans trace their genetic histories, according to The Washington Post.

     Lastly, there are memorials to Frederick Douglass who lived in Baltimore and spent most of his time in Fells Point learning to read and write and working in shipyards before his freedom in 1838, according to The Washington Post. He is most known for his activism, author, and public speaker. Douglass is a very prominent figure for many African Americans due to his fight for the abolishment of slavery.

     Douglass’s autobiographies and speeches highlight the influence he had on civil rights on many future activists of our time. In Baltimore, the Douglass Myers Museum has a six-foot-tall memorial sculpture of Frederick Douglass. The bronze structure was created by artist Marc Andre Robinson, a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, according to baltimore.org.

     These landmarks are but three of the many historical landmarks in Maryland. There’s plenty of Black history all around Maryland residents, so take advantage of all the historical landmarks that tell a story of African Americans’ road to freedom.