Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend 2024 at the Museum

Honor the life, service, and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. over MLK Weekend at the Museum to discover the ongoing legacy of the American Revolution and learn what it takes to change the world.

First-Person Performance: Meet Elizabeth Freeman
Onsite (Alan B. Miller Theater) | Daily, 1:15 & 3:15 p.m.
Watch a 30-minute first-person theatrical performance portraying the life and experiences of Elizabeth Freeman, also known as Mumbet, a Massachusetts woman who sued for her freedom from enslavement and won. The performance stars Katelyn E. Appiah-Kubi as Elizabeth Freeman and was written by Teresa Miller.

Revolution Place
Onsite (lower level) | Daily, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Museum’s family-friendly discovery center, Revolution Place, will be open daily to explore the Museum’s lively, diverse Old City neighborhood during the 1700s through hands-on exploration in four key recreated historical environments, including a military encampment, a tavern, a home, and an 18th-century meeting house. Don’t miss an activity exploring Phillis Wheatley's poetry.

Meet the Revolution: Hannah Wallace
Onsite | Sunday, Jan. 14, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Historical interpreter Hannah Wallace will explore the various roles and responsibilities that women of African descent had to face during the Revolutionary era through documents, handling objects, and graphics.

Community Engagement Wall
Onsite (Robert A. M. Stern Rotunda) | Daily
How can you create change in your community? Guests can share how they are carrying forward the Revolution’s promises of liberty and equality at a community engagement wall in the Museum’s first-floor rotunda. 

In-Gallery Talks: Let Them Vote
Onsite | Daily
Join a Museum educator at the When Women Lost the Vote tableau in our core galleries for a 10-minute talk to learn about voting rights for women and people of color in New Jersey from 1776-1807.

Discovery Cart: Protest in Early America
Onsite & Online | Daily, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Join a Museum educator at this discovery cart that uses images and replica objects to spark conversations about the stories told in the Museum's American Liberties, 1765-1775 gallery. Examine how early Americans used boycotts, printed propaganda, violence, and public demonstrations to advocate for various causes and helps guests consider similarities and differences between the 18th century and today. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Promises of the American Revolution
Online | Anytime
Throughout many of his speeches and writings, King powerfully invoked the words and messages of the American Revolution in his calls for civil and economic rights and in speaking out against racism. By invoking the words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, King returned often to a central tenet of his work: holding America and its people to the promise of “the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” to all men, a promise made by the Founders against the backdrop of the practice of slavery and the displacement of Native peoples.