Alexis Ojeda-Brown leads the Forging Progress tour in the print gallery, highlighting the legacy of the AFRO media company. (courtesy BMI)

Alexis Ojeda-Brown leads the Forging Progress tour in the print gallery, highlighting the legacy of the AFRO media company. (BMI)

News 

BMI ‘Forging Progress’ Spotlights Social Changes in Baltimore

Press Release

New Tour Explores Intersection of Labor and Civil Rights Movements

Baltimore, Maryland — The Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI) has launched a new guided tour exploring the intersection of the labor and civil rights movements.

Forging Progress: Civil Rights, Labor Rights, and Black History in Baltimore delves into stories of resilience, unity, and change, and spotlights individuals and events that shaped the city’s industrial and civil landscape.  Visitors will gain a deeper appreciation for the intertwined legacies that have left an indelible mark on Baltimore.  The tour is available to groups through advance booking on the museum’s website.

The museum’s 2019 Reframing The Narrative initiative expanded the scope of storytelling in the BMI’s exhibitions to more broadly reflect the backgrounds and experiences of the communities served by the museum. To complement the exhibits, and include galleries that aren’t often part of general BMI tours, this new tour was created.

“Local Black-owned businesses like Parks Sausage Co. and the Afro-American newspaper transformed their respective industries, and while the project incorporated these stories into BMI exhibitions, we realized exhibition space limits the number of stories the museum could physically hold,” says Alexis Ojeda-Brown, the museum’s Marketing and DEAI Specialist, who conceived of and created the guided tour.

Using the museum galleries for context, the 60-minute Forging Progress tour takes visitors through topics including slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, lunch counter sit-ins, and Baltimore as a microcosm for what was taking place throughout the nation. Due to the nature of the material presented, Forging Progress is recommended for ages 13 and up.  

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The Baltimore Museum of Industry is located at 1415 Key Highway, Baltimore MD 21230. Free onsite parking is available. Tickets and information at www.thebmi.org and on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok at @BMIatWork.