BMORENEWS.com

25^th Anniversary: THE NATIONAL GREAT BLACKS IN WAX MUSEUM

(BALTIMORE - April 14, 2008) – Dr. Joanne M. Martin and her husband, the late Dr. Elmer P. Martin, Founders of The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, will receive The Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builders Award for their visionary leadership in educational advancement, economic development, and community building, in the city of Baltimore.  The conferral will take place on May 5^th, 2008, at 7:00pm, in the Nyumburu Cultural Center, on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. 

Dr. Lawrence E. Carter, Sr., Dean of the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Dr. King’s alma mater, Morehouse College, will present the award as part an invitation only opening ceremony of the “Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace” exhibition, on campus. (The exhibit is free and open to the public May 5^th – 10^th, 2008.)  In his letter of notification to Dr. Joanne Martin, Dean Carter wrote:

     
     The award will be conferred upon the both of you [the Martins] for your exemplary leadership of American society for peace and community.  I would like to recognize you for your extraordinary efforts to truthfully tell the history of African Americans so that current and future generations may have an accurate understanding of their heritage.  This is particularly important as young people need a sound basis for unveiling their full potential and forging lives of creativity and success.

      
     Moreover, I wish to recognize you and Dr. Elmer Martin’s compassionate decision to locate the museum in a then fragile neighborhood so that your enterprise could enable community members to volunteer, hold internships, educate themselves and engage in public service.  In short, you helped uplift your community through creating opportunities. Thank you for being extraordinary examples and inspirations to your neighbors, the nation and the world.

This international honor arrives in the Museum’s 25^th year of operation, as preparations for its block-long expansion solidify through the selection of the esteemed architectural firm, Davis Brody Bond. 

Last year, Maryland Public Television showcased the Martins and the Museum in its premiere of a new series entitled, “Lead by Example”.  The half-hour documentary conveys the Founders’ selfless commitment to their mission, the Museum’s history and expansion plans in Baltimore’s Oliver Community, the impact and depth of its education and public outreach services, and its hard earned status as a major catalyst for economic development in the heart of East Baltimore.

In addition to the Martins achievements as Museum Founders, they are Co-authors of four books, published by the National Association of Social Workers, and the University of Chicago Press, that chronicle and describe family, spiritual, and helping traditions of African Americans.  It is within the pages of this body of research and narratives that the profound mission of the Museum is validated as a true outcome of uncompromised humanism.

Past recipients of the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Building Award include: Prince Hassan of Jordan, Northern Ireland’s Betty Williams, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Former Presidents of the Republic of South Africa, Nelson Mandela and F. W. De Klerk.  

Tags: black history, museum