Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend 2025 at the Museum

Honor the life, service, and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. over MLK Weekend at the Museum, Saturday, Jan. 18 – Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, to discover the ongoing promise of the American Revolution and explore 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.

Meet the Revolution: Leslie Bramlett
Onsite | Sunday, Jan. 19, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
On Sunday, Jan. 19, living historian Leslie Bramlett will join the Museum to explore the lives of two women of African descent connected to the Revolutionary era: Hannah Archer Till and Ona Judge. Bramlett will share stories about the roles and responsibilities of both women, their connections to George Washington, and how they found their freedom on different paths.

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 based on poetry written by Phillis Wheatley, the first published African American female poet.

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.

Pop-Up Talks: Phillis Wheatley
Onsite | Daily, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Join a Museum educator at an original, signed copy of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, written by Phillis Wheatley, the first published Black female poet in the Western world. Discover the story of Wheatley’s life and consider the lasting legacy of her poetry.

Discovery Cart: Protest in Early America
Onsite | 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 consider similarities and differences between the 18th century and today.

Gallery Highlights Tour: Black Voices of the Revolution
Onsite | Saturday & Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
Join a Museum educator for our 60-minute tour of the core exhibit galleries, which highlights a diverse set of stories, experiences, and objects related to people of African descent during the American Revolution. Along the way, you’ll see a first edition of Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, learn about Elizabeth Freeman’s historic court case, consider what the engraving “No Slavery” on a Continental Army soldier’s musket meant, and discuss Harry Washington’s international life. Through it all, you’ll have the opportunity to consider what words like freedom, liberty, and equality meant for different people within the Revolutionary era, and how these ideas continue to influence our lives today. Tickets can be purchased here.