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Cleopatra wasn't black
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Cleopatra wasn't black. She was of Greek descent, the last member of the Ptolemaic Dynasty descended from Alexander the Great's general Ptolemy who took control of Egypt after the great conquerer's death. There were genuinely black pharaohs however. They ruled during Egypt's 25th Dynasty, the Nubian Dynasty.
The National Center of African American Artists located at 300 Walnut Avenue in Boston's Roxbury section commemorates these black pharaohs. In the only permanent exhibit at the center is the recreated tomb of the Nubian Pharaoh Aspelta. For $4.00 admission you can walk into a tomb housed in a majestic, if dilapidated, mansion in one of Roxbury's prettiest pocket neighborhoods.
The Center also hosts traveling and temporary exhibits, but Aspelta's tomb alone is worth the price of admission. If you aren't driving, take the Silver Line to Dudley Station and then the 22 Bus to Walnut Avenue at Seaver Street. The Center is located a three-block walk from the bus stop past some picturesque homes and by a beautiful park that features imposing outcroppings of Massachusetts' state mineral: Roxbury puddingstone.
For more info: Here's the National Center of African American Artists website. For views of the recreated tomb, click here, but we strongly suggest you visit in person for the full experience.
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