African American Museum in Philadelphia unveils plans for MLK weekend

Free admission, “Selma” screening and radical art-making are on the docket for the long weekend.

Peter Crimmins

January 8, 2026

Dr. Ashley Jordan, president and CEO of the African American Museum in Philadelphia, receives a donation from Citizens Bank representative Daniel K. Fitzpatrick. The contribution will allow the museum to offer free and reduced price admission during the Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

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The African American Museum in Philadelphia is preparing for Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a long weekend of activities and reduced admission cost.

“The theme for this weekend is radical peace, which honors Dr. King’s legacy of non-violence,” said AAMP President and CEO Ashley Jordan.

On Saturday, Jan. 17, the museum will host a brunch with a plant-based menu followed by a screening of the 2014 film “Selma,” a drama by Ava DuVernay about the 1965 voting rights marches in Alabama.

Several costumes featured in the film are on display in the museum as part of its current exhibition, “Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design.” The exhibit features clothes spanning the career of the costume designer from “Do the Right Thing” to “Black Panther.” Carter was the first Black woman costume designer to win an Academy Award for her work in “Black Panther.”

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On Sunday, Jan. 18, AAMP will host a day of family-friendly art-making sessions that will guide participants through making small paintings based on the large-scale, historic murals in North Philadelphia’s Church of the Advocate.

During the Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend, the African American Museum in Philadelphia is showcasing the work of celebrated costume designer Ruth Carter. Admission will be half price on Saturday and Sunday and free on Monday. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

In the 1970s, the church commissioned two Philadelphia artists, Richard Watson and Walter Edmonds, to paint scenes inside the worship space depicting scenes of Black struggle and resistance. One of the largest murals by Edmonds is named after MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“The murals at that church connect scriptural themes with the experiences of Black people in the United States,” said Damon McCool, AAMP’s director of programming. “We’ll invite our visitors to create their own miniature murals honoring Philadelphia’s radical tradition.”

On MLK Day, Monday, Jan. 19, admission to AAMP will be free. The museum’s curators will offer gallery talks, and family-friendly activities will be held.

The reduced and free admission policies over the weekend are courtesy of Citizens Bank, which donated $35,000 to AAMP. This is the 19th year the bank has supported the museum’s MLK celebrations.

“There’s no more important legacy that we have in American history than Dr. Martin Luther King,” said Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, president of Citizens Mid-Atlantic and Midwest Regions. “We need to make sure we celebrate his great life and legacy but also live his legacy every day. The message of peace is as necessary today as it’s ever been.”

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In addition to the Carter costumes, AAMP has a smaller exhibition about overwater routes for fugitives escaping slavery, “Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad,” and its permanent exhibition, “Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia 1776-1876.”

The dresses worn by actresses portraying the victims of the 1963 Birmingham Church bombing are on display at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, part of an exhibit of the work of costume designer Ruth Carter. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

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