Founder – Esther Armstrong

This unique children’s museum was the vision of Esther K. Armstrong, a Ghanaian-born citizen of the United States. A graduate of the University of Ghana at Legon, she has lived and worked in the Maryland area for over 30 years. Esther has always believed deeply in Marcus Garvey’s quote, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Respectfully known as “Mama Kiki,” in the cultural community, she and her husband Jim Clemmer are owners of Sankofa African & World Bazaar, a cultural shop previously located in Charles Village. Together they have been providing the community a brilliant collection of colorful African artifacts, jewelry, accessories, traditional and contemporary clothing for over twenty years. The store is now the Sankofa Museum Gift Shop. As reports of African-American school dropouts and violent juvenile crime increased, Esther became convinced that a children’s museum focused on African history and cultures would help turn the statistics around. She realized most city youth do not see themselves connected to the great achievements of their ancestors, who are seldom included in their history books. Mama Kiki noted a correlation between young peoples’ lack of education, poor self-esteem, disinterest in education and the ensuing cycle of despair, crime, arrest and hopelessness. She formed SCMAC and assembled a Board of Directors comprised of innovative thinkers. They believe that the culturally competent education of our children will result in less crime and a desire for further education. Mama Kiki then hired the dynamic and proficient Deborah Mason as Museum Director. Mrs Mason’s mission is to design and implement meaningful programing and exhibits that will educate, engage and entertain young people