Spotlight: Great Blacks in Wax Museum ushers in new era;
to unveil statue of Black Enterprise magazine's Earl G. Graves, Sr. 
Baltimore, MD -- July 13, 2006 -- (BlackPressMagazine.com)
Baltimore, MD. is most known for drug-overdose fatalities and murder, rather than the Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles or the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.
But if Dr. Joanne Martin, co-founder and Executive Director of the museum, has her way, this chaotic city will be transformed into a dynamic legacy of untold stories including the expansion of the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum.
Blacks in Wax sits in the Oliver community of Baltimore and are surrounded by abandoned and boarded up buildings. To an outsider it would appear to be any other block that has seen everything from drug-trafficking to evicted families. But this block is about to be resurrected by passionate visionaries, propelled to strengthen the people and surroundings of this Black neighborhood.
The Museum is in the process of venturing into a four-phase campaign to expand from their current location of 15,000 sq. ft. to over 120,000 sq. ft. of interactive exhibitions. Currently the Museum, founded by Dr's. Elmer and Joanne Martin, takes up all of the 15,000 square ft. of space that was once an abandoned firehouse. The city of Baltimore worked with the Museum to acquire the existing properties from Bond to Dallas Streets in the 1500 block of North Avenue.
"As properties became available, uninhabitable, we would buy it for future expansion," said Lisa Saunders, manager of corporate membership and spokesperson for the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum.
Survived by her late husband, co-founder Dr. Martin, with help from the city and partners, is spearheading a dynamic expansion project for the sector. The city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland have both committed to providing finanical support for this new project, and Congressman Elijah Cummings and Senator Barbara Mikulski are contributing with federal government support.
"Essentially, our expansion program represents an effort to build a public/private partnership designed to create a stronger Great Blacks in Wax Museum more able to promote neighborhood revitalization, tourism, and cultural awareness," said Saunders.
The Beautification Layout
There are 53 properties behind The Great Blacks in Wax Museum that have already been demolished and will result in off street parking for the museum, which according to Saunders, currently shelters a dangerous and unappealing space. This area will be transformed into an appealing area where visitors can park their cars or de-board their buses to enter the new Museum.
It will also include a residential rear yard landscaping; placement of underground utilities servicing the residents of Bond, Lafayette, Broadway streets, and the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum.
The main entryway to the Museum will be designed to instantly familiarize the visitor to the compelling history to be experienced. On North Avenue, the front facades will be restored while new construction will lead to a continuous state-of- the- art facility.
"We are extremely excited about our $50 million dollar capital campaign. The success of 'More Than a Museum,' The Campaign for The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, Inc. will enable us to develop an even greater institution as we enter the 21st century," said Saunders.
The groundwork for the capital improvements is already being laid, and will soon allow the Museum to expand along the entire 1600 block of East North Avenue. The expected date for completion of this massive expansion is 2008. For more information on The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum go to http://www.ngbiwm.com/index.asp.
Update: Black Press Magazine will attend a private reception for the inaugural unveiling of Medger and Merlie Evers in Washington, DC as part of the NAACP's national convention. Stay tuned next week for exciting updates.
Natalie Gilmore is an editorial intern for Black Press Magazine's Summer internship program. She is a graduating senior majoring in Journalism at Austin Peay University and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
