Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Women’s History Program: “The Artistry and Activism of Frances Harper”
2026-03-14 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Women’s History Program: “The Artistry and Activism of Frances Harper”
Saturday, March 14th | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Museum Admission
Join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum celebrating the life and legacy of activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper through dance and poetry during Women’s History Month. “The Artistry and Activism of Frances Harper,” depicts Harper’s rise from being orphaned in Baltimore to becoming the most prolific Black novelist and most beloved Black poet of the nineteenth century after becoming the first Black woman to join the American Anti-Slavery speaking circuit. The 5 suite production includes original music, choreography and poetry performed by Sharing Our Legacy Dance Theatre (SOL) and directed by Professor Emerita, Lynnette Young Overby from the University of Delaware. Frances Watkins Harper Bicentennial birthday was recently commemorated in 2025.
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Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II
2026-03-28 14:00 - 16:00
Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II
Saturday, March 28th | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in a film screening and discussion of Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II. Invisible Warriors gives voice to the hidden heroines who helped reshape both a nation at war and the course of American heritage. Told by the women who courageously fought both racism and sexism on America’s home front, this is the untold story of 600,000 Black “Rosie the Riveters.” These trailblazing women entered factories, government offices, and shipyards, shattering barriers and laying the groundwork for future generations of African American women.
This film screening will include a post discussion with filmmaker Gregory Cooke (virtually) and local Rosie Riveter Susie King (in person).
This program is in conjunction with Women’s History Month and National Black Women’s Labor Day (April 5).
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Film Trailer

Children’s Book Festival 2026
2026-04-11 11:00 - 15:00
Children’s Book Festival | Presented by Baltimore Gas and Electric (an Exelon company)
Saturday, April 11th | 11am – 3 pm | Museum Admission | FREE for Youth & Children (17 and under)
This spring join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum for the return of our family friendly Children’s Book Festival. Children and families can enjoy a fun-filled day exploring kids’ literature about African Americans while meeting some of your favorite children’s authors and illustrators in our Book Village. Enjoy a host of activities to include author readings, illustration workshops, craft activities, dance parties and more. Museum visitors can receive a free copy of A Ride to Remember by Amy Nathan and Sharon Langley while supplies last.
The African American Children’s Book Festival strives to connect families to high quality books about and for African American children. We aim to foster a love of reading for families by connecting them with renown and up and coming creators of children’s books.
Participating Authors, Illustrators, Presenters and Community Partners

Celebrity Guest Reader: Civil Rights icon, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland
Kwame Alexander
Marilyn Annette Barber
Carole Boston Weatherford
Jeffery Boston Weatherford
Julia K. Briggs Moseley
Sanaa Chege
Marc Clarke
Bryan Collier
Go-Daddy Productions, Ltd. – Wendell Shannon
Jordan P Jackson
Jordyn’s Journeys
Kujichagulia Press
Allison Lall
Dr. David C. Miller
Dr. Margaret Musgrove
Amy Nathan
Ashley Palmer
Enoch Pratt free Library Book Mobile
James E. Ransome
Culture Queen
Taunya T.D. Said
Markette “Sugar” Sheppard
Dr. LaMarr Darnell Shields
Shadra Strickland
Roland P. Taylor
Shenell Tolson, DrPH
Aisha Toombs
Mariah Torries
Renee Watson
Wellthy Entertainment
Katrina Denise
Dr. Mercedes Osakwe
Lor Xay Xay

Presented by:

Food Sponsored by:

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Maryland at 250: The Values That Shape Us (FREEDOM) presents “Freedom Is Not A Moment, It Is A Movement”
2026-04-16 18:00 - 19:30
Maryland at 250: The Values That Shape Us (FREEDOM) presents “Freedom Is Not A Moment, It Is A Movement
Thursday, April 16th | 6:00 PM-7:30 PM | FREE
As Maryland commemorates its 250th anniversary, the semiquincentennial of the nation’s founding, this moment calls for more than reflection. It calls for reckoning. In partnership with the Maryland 400 Commission and the Maryland Center for History and Culture, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture invites you to the opening program in a bold new lecture series examining the values that have defined and challenged the state across two and a half centuries.
Acclaimed historian Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries will deliver a powerful keynote exploring how Black Marylanders have continuously shaped the meaning of freedom from 1776 to the present. From the self emancipation efforts of Frederick Douglass and the daring leadership of Harriet Tubman, to the intellectual activism of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper and the ongoing work of community organizers, this lecture traces a long tradition of resistance, strategy, and collective action that continues to define Maryland today.
This program serves as a signature component of the Lewis Museum’s upcoming exhibition, The Lines We Cross: 250 Years of Maryland Forging America, which examines how individuals and communities throughout Maryland’s history have confronted the boundaries of race, citizenship, power, and belonging. Together, the exhibition and lecture series challenge us to consider: What lines have Marylanders crossed in pursuit of freedom and what lines remain before us?
At 250 years, Maryland’s story is not complete. It is still being written by those willing to question, to act, and to carry forward the work of freedom. Join us for an evening of history, insight, and purpose and take part in shaping what comes next.
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