national museum of african american history and culture
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Petition Started to Include Clarence Thomas in National African American Museum
This month marks the 25th anniversary of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ arrival on the nation’s highest court. But the only mention of him that the recently opened National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., has is in reference to Anita Hill’s testimony against him regarding sexual harassment during his confirmation…
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture Is The Blackest Thing I’ve Ever Seen This Week…and Ever
I’ve been to the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) twice so far – yes, that was a stunt – and it is easily the second Blackest place I’ve ever been in life. The Blackest? I’m glad you asked. That would be in the southeastern quadrant of Washington, DC, where…
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Open Letter to My Congressman, Robert Pittenger: No, We Don’t Hate White People
Dear Rep. Robert Pittenger: You may be the elected U.S. congressman from the district of North Carolina that runs through my neighborhood, but you don’t represent me. When you were asked for your reaction to the citizens who took to the streets of Charlotte to protest the killings of people of color by law enforcement and…
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The National Museum of African American History and Culture Opens, Housing ‘Sacred’ Objects
It’s no easy task to encompass the history of a race of people with varying cultures, languages and religions who were forced to create a new culture and community in a foreign land under the brutality of slavery. But the National Museum of African American History and Culture has taken on the task and dug…
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Making a Way Out of No Way: Defending African-American Culture
I’m black and have always identified as such, and until recently, I never questioned exactly what that meant. Having grown up on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., formerly known as Chocolate City, attended an HBCU and worked at two black companies in the past, I’ve been happily surrounded by myriad black people. Recently, that’s included…
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Ask Agatha: "I Think He's Using Me For My National Museum of African American History and Culture Opening Tickets"
Nkasi from Brooklyn, NY asks: I’m a very open-minded, tough-skinned, blunt-tongued, easy-going gal. Which is why it might be so hard for me to wrap my head around this situation… I went on two dates with this guy. We had a good time the first date and after said date I invited him to my…
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Emmett Till's Casket Is ‘One of Our Most Sacred Objects’ at African-American History Museum
Curating for a museum is no doubt a difficult job, and one of the more difficult decisions that Lonnie Bunch III—founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture—remembers grappling with was whether to include the casket that once held the brutalized remains of Emmett Till. “I remember struggling with, ‘Should we…
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212 Slaves Died on the São José Ship; This New Exhibit Will Share Their Story
Paul Gardullo lifted an iron ballast from a Portuguese slave ship that sank in 1794 out of a crate Wednesday morning and hefted its weight in his hands. “Anytime I come into contact with the objects from the São José, it’s an incredibly moving experience,” said the curator of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American…