The Bicentennial celebration in 1976 saw many events take place. Philadelphia commemorated the year with the opening of quite a few new institutions. Perhaps the most significant and timely was the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Mueum, today known as the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

By 1976, people understood that the independece fought for two centuries earlier had only applied to some Americans. The AAMP was founded to show the effects of the African diaspora and a neglected side of U. S. history. It was a combined effort of many organizations, individuals and the city.

One of these individuals was Charles H. Wesley, the founding director of AAMP. His background in African American History made him the perfect person to aid in the Museum’s opening. To learn more about his collaboration with the Museum as well as his own history, read the story.