WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reflecting and honoring the African American story is an essential part to our growth and understanding. That’s the goal for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in our nation’s capital.
The museum itself is a standout building.
“Reminiscent of a crown and also featuring the iron work traditions of people in the deep south,” said Dr. Dwandalyn Reece, with the NMAAHC.
And on the inside, there are about 40-thousand artifacts.
“What you get is really a chronological history of the African American presence the arrival of the first enslaved people to the shores and looking at that journey over time, up until this point we get too president Obama’s inauguration in 2008,” said Dr. Reece.
With the use of artifacts, visual pieces, storytelling and more, the museum said all exhibitions support one another to share the African American story like the slave trade, segregation and aspects like professions, the role of the church, sports and more. The museum also highlights the civil rights movement.
“The era of segregation really gives you the backstory of what has happened,” said Dr. Reece. “How people came together, fighting against lynching, you know promoting your own newspapers, building entrepreneurial societies, businesses and the like. That kind of traces that lineage to the modern civil rights movement that we know when MLK and other people galvanized and created this critical moment in history.”
They want visitors to understand that history is made and created by all people.
“Storytelling is key to remembering who we are and who we will be in the future and that’s what this museum will be, a place for reflection,” said Dr. Reece.
