The Banneker-Douglass Museum of African American Life and History opened to the public on February 24, 1984. It was renamed the Banneker-Douglass Museum of African American History and Culture in 1993. Pictured in the photo from that day addressing the crowd, is Carroll Greene--the first person to hold the joint position of executive director of the MD Commission on African American History and Culture and museum director. Also pictured (second from left) is Senator Verda Freeman Welcome, the first African American woman to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates and the first to become a state senator in the United States. Senator Welcome introduced the bill creating the MD Commission on African American History and Culture (1969) and the BDM. It was through their hard work and the tireless efforts of many individuals, grassroots community groups, preservation organizations, the City of Annapolis, and our State, that the BDM came into being. Thank you all and happy 27th BDM!
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