In honor of the 100th anniversary of its parent company, McKissack & McKissack donated its services for the design of the new Cape Coast Castle Museum to depict the early slave trade.
Slaves were held at Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle in unspeakable conditions, then sent to America by sea in equally horrifying quarters. McKissack’s design for the Castle’s museum, which is scheduled to open in 2022 and will showcase ongoing exhibitions documenting the slave trade, features the Door of No Return—a feature that symbolizes an African's entry into slavery, from which there was no return. The first exhibit in the Museum depicts the trip slaves made in Africa; the second the trip they made across the Atlantic; and the third exhibit represents their experience in America. At the end of the museum tour, an inscribed statue proclaims, “We have soared. Now we fly.” There is also a Room of Redemption. Amenities include a conference center, a library, classrooms and a cafeteria.
