News

African-American Heritage Guide Presentation

Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele To Introduce New Guide to African-American Heritage in Annapolis & Anne Arundel County

Lt. Governor Michael SteeleAnnapolis, MD – The Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference & Visitors Bureau (CVB) and the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, Inc. are proud to present the new Guide to African-American Heritage in Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

CVB President & CEO, Melanie Suggs, states, “Today’s travelers want quality heritage experiences, so we are answering with 16 pages of ideas, itineraries, and authentic stories. We’re helping to lead them to those experiences.”

The new booklet is the most comprehensive African-American heritage guide that has ever been produced for Annapolis & Anne Arundel County. It introduces the reader to the area’s rich African-American heritage and, most importantly, encourages them to experience that heritage with a visit to the destination. The guide includes accounts of African-American history, a 352-year timeline, maps of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County and descriptions of tours, historical sites, and attractions.

Seven unique itineraries offer suggestions for visitors who want to explore African-American heritage throughout the County. Nineteen separate icons that appear throughout the guide inform visitors of nearby attractions and amenities. Icons indicate everything from wheelchair accessibility and public restrooms to waterfront views, restaurants, and walking tours.

“We definitely had the visitor in mind when we were creating this guide,” says Leonard Blackshear, President of the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation. “We feel that it is important to make our heritage accessible to our visitors.”

The Guide to African-American Heritage in Annapolis & Anne Arundel County was partially funded by the Annapolis London Town and South County Heritage Area / Maryland Historical Trust, through a grant from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority.

For more information or to request a guide, please call 410-280-0445 ext. 10 or visit www.visit-annapolis.org.

WHAT: Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele and elected officials to introduce the new 16-page, comprehensive Guide to African-American Heritage in Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 starting at 10 a.m.

WHERE: Banneker-Douglass Museum located at 84 Franklin Street in Historic Annapolis (just off Church Circle, behind Circuit Court Building)

SPEAKERS:

  • Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele
  • Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer
  • Carl Snowden, Representing County Executive Janet S. Owens
  • Leonard Blackshear, President, Kunta-Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation
  • Melanie Suggs, President & CEO, Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference & Visitors Bureau (CVB)