#National Museum of African American History and Culture

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National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC

photo: David Castenson

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Wedding Dress of Lollaretta Pemberton Allen 

Pictured with her groom, Grover Allen

1939

National Museum of African American History & Culture

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Lt. Uhura’s Starfleet uniform, worn by Nichelle Nichols

Afrofuturism exhibit, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

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Beau-Ty. Marcus Brutus. American. 2022.

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

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National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington DC

[riverofthought]

Art and Literature National Museum of African American History and Culture: Black women, navigating the intersections of race and gender in their daily lives, faced their own unique struggles for empowerment. Through art and literature, black women created new platforms to make their voices heard, express their identities, and affirm their shared experiences and commitment to liberation and justice. We have to create an art for liberation and for life. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀elizabeth catlett

A scoff releases from my lips as the chambers echo with the wallowing sound of silence. It comes as no surprise to me that no one is willing to bite back. Sink their teeth into the soft white underbelly of a truth so harsh it leaves behind a bitter after taste on their tongues. The subtle realization is enough to encourage the curt smirk currently twitching at the corners of my lips. I'd say it were a job well done, but there was still more hard work for me to endure beyond the constraints of these four walls. As much as I desired to encounter the consequences of whatever awaited me at the end of this rat race, its path would never be free of obstacles nonetheless. So I chose to bite the hand that fed me any chance I got. Ravage the remnants of sustenance that was now beginning to feel more like poison to the mind; brain rot. It was becoming clear, that to some degree, I would be alone in this fight. There was no amount of empathy or reasoning that could break this camel's back. Mutilate their lack thereof and transmute it into something more that heightened the worth of those less fortunate. Suddenly, I'm no longer under the microscope of my fellow counterparts’ scrutiny. I'm seated on the edge of my childhood bed, mattress sunken in beneath my body weight. My father's next to me, and I can hear his favorite sentiment ring throughout my eardrums clearly: be the change you wish to see in the world. I once highly favored this quote, but the older I got, the less impactful it felt. In the end, it made me ponder, but at what cost? When the world has already molded me into an image of someone incapable, unworthy of existing in that context?

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JFK at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, 2023

GIF: Bruce Morrow

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Sweet Emma and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band

source: Smithsonian, National Museum of African American History and Culture

Preservation Hall Jazz Band, American, founded 1963

Alcide Pavageau, 1888 - 1969

Jim Robinson, 1892 - 1976

Emanuel Sayles, 1907 - 1986

Willie Humphrey Sr., 1900 - 1994

Josiah Frazier, 1904 - 1985

Percy Humphrey, 1905 - 1995

Emma Barrett, 1897 - 1983

A black-and-white photograph of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans, standing in front of Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana. The photograph depicts six men in suits standing behind bass drum, with the words [PRESERVATION HALL / JAZZ / BAND / of / New Orleans, La.] printed on the drumhead. The men are standing in a line and each is holding one instrument. From left to right is Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau holding a double bass, "Big" Jim Robinson holding a trombone, Emanuel Sayles holding a banjo, Willie Humphrey holding a clarinet, Josiah "Cie" Frazier holding drumsticks, and Percy Humphrey holding a trumpet. "Sweet" Emma Barrett, piano player and leader of the band, is seated to the right of the wearing a skirt set, printed blouse, hat and jingles attached to her calves. There are no inscriptions on the front or back of the image.

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Currently Playing

Don Flemons DON FLEMONS PRESENTS BLACK COWBOYS

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Big Band legend Erskine Hawkins photographed for Bluebird Records (an RCA Victor sub-label) sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s.

Hawkins and his Orchestra are quite popular on WINE-DOWN SUNDAYS - listen to previous episodes here: https://buff.ly/3tmMM7P

[NMAAHC - Digital Collections]

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Rise People Rise. By Cliff Joseph. American. 1970

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

[mauricecherry]

The National Museum of African American History and Culture recently launched an online portal for their design collection. https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/collection/design

Design collections at NMAAHC encompass graphic design, furniture design, fashion design, and architectural design, among other fields. The impact of African Americans in design is reflected in American material culture and the built environment we experience today.

My baby Revision Path is a part of the collection -- the first podcast to be in the Smithsonian's archives. (There's a pretty dope bio of me too.)

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National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington DC - David Adjaye, Phil Freelon, J Max Bond Jr (2016)