By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum celebrated its 43rd anniversary at the M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center on July 9, marking more than four decades of preserving the legacies and likeness of influential African American figures and educating visitors from across the country about Black history.
The Baltimore-based cultural institution commemorated the milestone with the launch of a new storytelling program, the Living History Series, and the unveiling of a new wax figure of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to be elected to Congress.
Museum co-founder Joanne Martin said she believes the museum’s longevity has been driven by its commitment to not only putting a face on history but also documenting it without compromise.
“People continue to come back because they’re going to find an unfiltered history—a history that has stood the test of time for us as a museum and for us as a people,” said Martin. “In these times, when people are banning our history and banning books, people are saying: ‘Well, we have a museum like Great Blacks and Wax that we want to take advantage of.’”
Founded in 1983, the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum began as a grassroots effort by Joanne Martin and her late husband Elmer Martin. A social work professor at Morgan State University, Elmer Martin believed that cultural development was key to a community’s development.
This philosophy would become the basis for the institution’s establishment, which marked the first wax museum in Baltimore and the first wax museum centered on African-American history in the country.
In 1980, the Martins used money they had saved for a down payment on a home to purchase their first four wax figures: Mary McLeod Bethune, Frederick Douglass, Nat Turner and John Brown. With them, the couple started a traveling exhibit, showcasing the figures in schools, churches and shopping malls.
By 1983, the Martins had their first brick-and-mortar space, a small storefront museum in downtown Baltimore, and their collection of wax figures had grown to 22. Five years later, the found its permanent home on the 1600 block of East North Avenue with the grand opening of a 10,000 square-foot facility. The relocation to the East Baltimore corridor, which faced disinvestment, was rooted in Elmer Martin’s philosophy of leveraging cultural enrichment to stimulate neighborhood revitalization.
Today, the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum maintains over 150 life-sized wax figures of prominent African Americans, spanning politics, civil rights, science, education and entertainment. It also houses a slave ship replica, depicting the 400-year history of the transatlantic slave trade.
When asked what she believes her late husband would think of the museum’s 43-year legacy, Joanne Martin said his cousin told her he would be proud of her.
After Elmer Martin died in 2001, Joanne Martin said she began to think seriously about mortality. These considerations pushed her to begin planning for the museum’s future leadership, with William Redman and Eboni Yahuda among those she hopes will continue its mission.
Most important to Joanne Martin is that every successor understands the museum’s purpose extends beyond preserving history—it is about inspiring future generations.
“I want them to continue to understand that it’s all about the children—the generations that are here now and the ones yet to be born. That should always be their focus,” said Martin. “It’s something bigger than me and bigger than Elmer.”
The museum’s July 9 anniversary celebration was attended by community leaders, supporters, entrepreneurs and local officials, including Sen. Cory McCray (D-District 45) and U.S. Rep/ Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) McCray, who has looked to Joanne Martin as a mentor, praised her and her husband’s vision.
“For 43 years, the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum has done more than preserve history—it has challenged each generation to learn from it, be inspired by it and build upon it,” McCray said. “As a proud son of Baltimore, I can remember visiting the museum as an elementary school student and for the first time, seeing our history centered in a way that made me feel connected to those who came before me.”
McCray said it’s been an honor to represent the district where the historic museum is located.
“Thanks to the extraordinary vision of Dr. Joanne Martin and the late Dr. Elmer P. Martin, Baltimore is home to one of our nation’s greatest institutions dedicated to preserving and telling the African American story,” said McCray. “Their legacy will continue educating and inspiring generations to come.”
Both McCray and Mfume have helped garner investment in the museum as it undergoes a multiphase $76 million expansion. In 2023, Mfume helped secure $2 million in federal funding to support the project.
Amid a political climate where Black history is increasingly under attack, Mfume emphasized that the mission of the museum has become even more vital.
“The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is an iconic Baltimore institution, dedicated to chronicling the history of a race that has suffered, endured and overcome centuries of slavery, oppression and voter suppression,” said Mfume. “It tells a story that must be told and which is worthy of embracing. Drs. Joanne and Elmer Martin have provided America with a special gift symbolizing the pride of African Americans and our history.”
