The Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI) has a new group tour exploring the intersection of the labor and civil rights movements that delves into stories of resilience, unity, and change permeating both.
“Forging Progress: Civil Rights, Labor Rights, and Black History in Baltimore” is a guided group tour highlighting individuals and events that shaped the city’s industrial and civil landscape. The museum aims to give visitors a deeper appreciation of the intertwining legacies of both labor and civil rights, and how the two movements have left their mark on Baltimore.
In 2019, the BMI launched the Reframing the Narrative initiative, which “expanded the scope of storytelling in the BMI’s exhibitions to more broadly reflect the backgrounds and experiences of the communities served by the museum.” This tour is part of that initiative, complementing the new exhibits and including galleries that aren’t often part of general BMI tours.
“Local Black-owned businesses like Parks Sausage Co. and the Afro-American newspaper transformed their respective industries, and while the project incorporated these stories into BMI exhibitions, we realized exhibition space limits the number of stories the museum could physically hold,” says Alexis Ojeda-Brown, the museum’s Marketing and DEAI Specialist, who conceived of and created the guided tour.
The museum’s galleries provide backdrop and context for the 60-minutes tour, and visitors are walked through topics that include slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, and lunch counter sit-ins. Baltimore serves as the microcosm for the nation.
Because the nature of the material presented can be difficult for young children to process and witness, “Forging Progress” is recommended for people ages 13 and older. Groups must have 10 or more participants, and the tours must be planned in advance. On the museum’s website, under the “Visit” tab, click on “Plan Your Adult Group Experience.”
The Baltimore Museum of Industry is located at 1415 Key Highway, Baltimore MD 21230. Free onsite parking is available.
