Award To Be Presented at Gala in Nashville, TN
A local museum dedicated to highlighting the contributions of others is being highlighted by a network that is affiliated with one of the biggest names in gospel music. The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum (GBIW) is among the museums being honored by the Stellar Network, creator of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards.
GBIW is among the honorees being presented with the Stellar Network’s Legacy and Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding African American museum leaders for their exemplary leadership in preserving African American history, culture, and legacy. This is the inaugural presentation of the award, which will be presented during the Black History Honors Gala on January 30, 2024 at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tennessee.
GBIW and the other selected museums will be featured on the 2nd Annual Black History Honors television special airing on the Stellar Network throughout Black History Month in February. The premiere screening of the television special will take place during the Black History Honors Gala being hosted by singer and actor Mali Music.
“This recognition is so gratifying,” said Dr. Joanne Martin who established GBIW in 1983 along with her late husband Dr. Elmer Martin.
“Stellar highlights the importance of gospel music in the history and legacy of African-Americans, but this award shows they also honor our history in other ways. This is very humbling, and such an honor to be connected to Stellar along with those other very outstanding museums. This award also comes with a great deal of exposure. It’s a multi-layered honor.”
Each honored museum will also receive a $5,000 donation to support their impactful work. The other selected museums are: Bronzeville Children’s Museum (Chicago, Illinois); Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (Detroit, Michigan); International African American Museum (Charleston, South Carolina); The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center (Chicago, Illinois); National Museum of African American Music (Nashville, Tennessee); Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (Birmingham, Alabama); The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (Kansas City, Missouri); and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati, Ohio).
“GBIW, along with the other museums are learning from one another, respect one another and have a sense of the history that we bring to the storytelling that emerged at different times in this journey,” said Dr. Martin. “Nevertheless, we all share the commonality of wanting to do the same thing, which is seeing our mission as telling our story. We do our storytelling in different ways, but our goals are the same.”
Located at 1601-1603 E. North Avenue, the Museum is committed solely to the study and preservation of African American history, and its presentation of life-size, life-like wax figures that highlight historical and contemporary personalities of African ancestry.
The museum has drawn visitors from all over the globe with its immersive museum exhibits, which include: “A Journey to Freedom,” that features wax figures of Henry “Box” Brown and W.E.B. DuBois; “The Underground Railroad,” featuring wax figures of Thomas Garrett and Harriet Tubman; and “The Slavery Era,” with its immersive “Middle Passage” and “The Horror of Captivity.”
GBIW is the first wax museum of African American history in the nation. The work of the GBIW has earned numerous awards and recognitions. In addition to its recent selection by the Stellar Network, the museum was recently chosen to be a part of the Blacktastic Children’s Festival of African American History and Culture. In selecting GBIW, Blacktastic will tell the love story of how the Martins met and worked together to make the museum a reality. In their depiction, Blacktastic will also focus on the visual artistry of GBIW’s wax figures.
The Stellar TV network is a wholly owned subsidiary of Central City Productions, Inc., the oldest Black-owned and operated television production company in the country. Central City Productions has been in operation since 1970 and remains dedicated to creating Black excellence in television programming. In addition to the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Central City Productions is also the creator of Black Music Honors, Black College Quiz, and other uplifting and original television programs.
Stellar Network is available to Charter Spectrum and Verizon Fios subscribers. The 2nd Annual Black History Honors television special will also air in national broadcast syndication from January 29th to March 3rd, 2024. For more information, visit https://stellartv.com/index.html