Explore the African American Experience

North Carolina African American History & Culture

In addition to this page, we recommend you visit the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission's website for an in-depth look at African American history & culture in North Carolina.

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North Carolina is nationally renowned for its rich African American history.

To help you explore that heritage we've gathered some of the best places to experience African American music, offer engaging on-site programming that highlights stories from Black history, and interpret four historic sites that emphasize the African American experience.

DNCR events and programs can give you a broad picture of North Carolina's African American history or you can take a dive deep into a specific subject. There's so much to explore!

Events and Programs

Celebrate Black History Month 2022 with the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources!

African American Highway Historic Markers

We believe that celebrating & sharing African American history goes beyond the month of February.

Experience the Magic of African American Music

A guide to music sites, artists and traditions of eastern North Carolina, our African American Music Trails project is a celebration of jazz, rhythm and blues, funk, gospel, blues, church music, rap, marching bands and the musicians and places in eastern North Carolina where music has been a part of family, church and community life for generations.

Find Authentic North Carolina in the African American Music of the East

African American State Historic Sites

Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum

Step back in time on the campus of the Palmer Memorial Institute, a pioneering experiment in African American education.

Historic Edenton

Walk in the footsteps of an enslaved woman and abolitionist Harriet Jacobs and explore the town where she hid after her escape.

Historic Stagville

Historic Stagville is a state historic site that includes the remnants of one of the largest plantations in North Carolina.

Somerset Place

Somerset Place offers a comprehensive and realistic view of 19th-century life on a large North Carolina plantation.

North Carolina African American Heritage Sites

Featured Stories

Celebrate Black History Month with our video series profiling notable African American North Carolinians. Get inspired by their stories of triumph, resilience, and impact on society. Join us as we highlight the contributions of these trailblazers and honor their legacy.