African American Museum Shops
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For anybody looking to celebrate the life and times of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., <a href="http://www.thekingcenter.org/bookstore-resource-center" target="_blank">The King Center</a> in Atlanta is a vital stop. Founded by his widow, Coretta Scott King, it features exhibits on Dr. King's life and houses his extensive papers. In addition to commemorating the fallen civil rights leader, the King Center also works to be a force for continued civil rights change.<br />
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Given the Center's focus on Dr. King's writings, it's not surprising that its bookstore highlights his legacy. Its "<a href="https://www.thekingcentergifts.com/default.aspx?p=viewitem&item=MLKAUD0007&subno=&showpage=2&subcat=" target="_blank">Landmark Speeches</a>" CDs are a great way to pass the beauty of King's words on to future generations. For those who want a daily reminder of the slain leader, the <a href="https://www.thekingcentergifts.com/default.aspx?p=viewitem&item=MLKGFT006&subno=&showpage=5&subcat=" target="_blank">King Keepsake Box</a> is an attractive reminder of his historic March on Washington.</p>
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Historically, Detroit was a center of black culture, so it's not surprising that the city's <a href="http://thewright.org/index.php" target="_blank">Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History</a> claims its position as the "world's largest institution dedicated to the African American experience." The museum shop further highlights the city's cultural heritage with its extensive collection of framed prints from <a href="http://thewright.org/museum-store" target="_blank">The Detroit News</a>. Perhaps the most interesting offering, however, is the store's very limited collection of busts of <a href="http://thewright.org/museum-store" target="_blank">Barack Obama</a>, part of an exhibition that it did on different ways to see the country's 44th president.</p>
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Most museum shops offer T-shirts and jackets, ties and handkerchiefs, but when it comes to fabulous historical apparel, it's hard to beat Kansas City's <a href="http://www.nlbm.com/s/index.cfm" target="_blank">Negro Leagues Baseball Museum</a>. Honoring the amazing athletes who toiled in relative obscurity before the integration of America's national pastime, the museum's shop features reproductions commemorating some of the Negro Leagues' greatest <a href="http://www.nlbm.com/ns/ProductDetail.cfm?PID=498" target="_blank">teams</a> and <a href="http://www.nlbm.com/ns/ProductDetail.cfm?PID=79" target="_blank">players</a>.</p>
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Cinncinnati's <a href="https://freedomcenter.org/" target="_blank">National Underground Railroad</a> Freedom Center highlights not only America's shameful history of slavery, but also the way that the crime persists in the world today. That shared focus on history and the future also plays out in the museum store, where <a href="https://freedomcenter.org/shop/?page_id=3&category=9&product_id=29" target="_blank">Sojourner Truth</a> and <a href="https://freedomcenter.org/shop/?page_id=3&category=9&product_id=28" target="_blank">Harriet Tubman</a> finger puppets share space with a large selection of <a href="https://freedomcenter.org/shop/?page_id=3&category=6" target="_blank">fair trade</a> items made in Africa.</p>
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The role of black soldiers in America's history is the focus of Houston's <a href="http://buffalosoldiersmuseum.com/cms/" target="_blank">Buffalo Soldiers National Museum.</a> That focus is on display in the museum's store, where one can buy, for example, the shoulder patches, regimental crests and shoulder <a href="http://www.buffalosoldiersmuseum.com/cms/shop.php?cat=3" target="_blank">insignia</a> of the U.S. 9th and 10th Cavalry -- two of the U.S. Army's segregated African-American regiments.</p>
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Photo: <a href="http://buffalosoldiersmuseum.com/cms/" target="_blank">Buffalo Soldiers</a><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=520269421327211&set=o.93625593274&type=3&theater" target="_blank"> National Museum Facebook</a></p>
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It's difficult to overestimate the significance that African-Americans have had on the nation's culture, and Memphis' <a href="http://www.staxmuseum.com/" target="_blank">Museum of American Soul Music</a> offers visitors a taste of that rich contribution. For fans of American music, the gift shop is a treasure trove, featuring a marvelous range of memorabilia, from <a href="http://shop.staxmuseum.com/browse.cfm/tee-rufus-thomas/4,302.html" target="_blank">Rufus Thomas</a> and <a href="http://shop.staxmuseum.com/browse.cfm/tee-otis-king-of-soul/4,305.html" target="_blank">Otis Redding</a> T-shirts to an amazing <a href="http://shop.staxmuseum.com/browse.cfm/music-cds/2,8.html" target="_blank">collection of CDs</a> and DVDs that cover the whole spectrum of American soul.</p>
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New York's <a href="http://www.studiomuseum.org/" target="_blank">Studio Museum of Harlem</a> gives visitors the opportunity to not just study art's history, but also to take part in its future. Retrospectives of established greats like <a href="http://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibition/gordon-parks-harlem-family-1967" target="_blank">Gordon Parks</a> sit around the corner from <a href="http://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibition/fore" target="_blank">exhibitions</a> of some of black America's most promising up-and-coming artists. As for the bookstore, it also offers an opportunity to take part in artistic creation: For just $1, the museum sells <a href="http://www.studiomuseum.org/shop/products" target="_blank">bookmarks</a> featuring some of its holdings. At the opposite end of the cost spectrum, <a href="http://www.studiomuseum.org/shop/limited-editions" target="_blank">limited edition prints</a> from artists associated with the museum run up to $1,200.</p>
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Memphis' <a href="http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/" target="_blank">National Civil Rights Museum</a> is located in the Lorraine Motel, the building where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. Today, museum visitors can tour the hotel room where King spent his last night, and can learn from exhibits outlining the impact that the assassination had on American history and culture.<br />
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In the gift shop, the National Civil Rights Museum has many of the <a href="http://207.56.166.180/store/categories/T%252dShirts/" target="_blank">T-shirts</a>, <a href="http://207.56.166.180/store/categories/Drinkware-%28Mugs-%26-Cups%29/" target="_blank">glassware</a>, and mouse pads that one would expect. But for those who want to expand their understanding of African-American history and culture, the museum's <a href="http://207.56.166.180/store/categories/Gifts/" target="_blank">Knowledge Cards</a> are the way to go. Exploring topics like African-American women, the civil rights movement, and great African Americans, they are an educational treasure trove.</p>
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African-American sportsmen have long held a prime place in the national consciousness, but it's hard to surpass the man who famously called himself "The Greatest." The <a href="http://alicenter.org/" target="_blank">Muhammad Ali Center</a> in Louisville, Ky., honors the champion's legacy with exhibits that commemorate his life, his cultural impact, and his religious legacy. In the museum shop, the gifts run the gamut, from <a href="http://alicenter.org/store/products-page/collectibles/muhammad-ali-magnetic-tin-sign/" target="_blank">tin signs</a> featuring his quotes to an Ali-themed <a href="http://alicenter.org/store/products-page/collectibles/muhammad-ali-the-greatest-edition-monopoly/" target="_blank">Monopoly</a> game. Given Ali's many championships, however, few things could be more appropriate than the shop's big, beautiful commemorative <a href="http://alicenter.org/store/products-page/featured-products/muhammad-ali-center-logo-belt-buckle/" target="_blank">belt buckle</a>. </p>
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