A People’s Journey, A Nation’s Story

Welcome to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture

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The Museum is reopening on May 14, 2021. Please check back for additional updates. In the meantime, we invite you to explore our virtual exhibitions, online collections and digital resources. Please visit our calendar of events for the latest updates. We appreciate your understanding.

Museum News and Highlights

We Walk the Way of the New World by Don L. Lee (Haki Madhubuti), 1970
01/03

Celebrating National Jazz Appreciation Month and Poetry Month

Virtual programs feature a conversation with the youngest original Freedom Rider, COVID-19 and Artists, and a panel about gospel music and men.
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Detail showing the section of 'The Wall of Respect' celebrating black literary figures, Chicago, IL, 1967. It shows the following figures (left to right): W.E.B. Dubois, James Baldwin, Lerone Bennett, LeRoi Jones, Gwendolyn Brooks, and John Killen. The mural was on 43rd and Langley in Chicago's South Side and was conceived by OBAC (The Organization of Black American Culture). It depicts images of
02/03

The Power of Poetry

Poetry has always loomed large on the African American literary landscape. Through the centuries, it has conveyed the aspirations, resilience, and vibrancy of African Americans.
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Joyful ABC Activity Books
03/03

Joyful ABC Activity Books

Support children’s positive identity development while growing language and literacy skills with activities, Museum objects, and new words.
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Engage with the Museum Online

Community + Conversations With A Docent

Join us for live, interactive conversations with a docent featuring collection objects and personal stories from the Museum's exhibitions. 
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Explore the Collection

Discover signature objects from the Museum's collection
"The Poems of Phillis Wheatley," 1909

"The Poems of Phillis Wheatley," 1909

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"Color" by Countee Cullen, 1925

"Color" by Countee Cullen, 1925

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Billie Holiday master recordings, 1952

Billie Holiday master recordings, 1952

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"Negro Digest," Sept.-Oct. 1968

"Negro Digest," Sept.-Oct. 1968

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"Pudgy" trumpet owned by Dizzy Gillespie, after 1968

"Pudgy" trumpet owned by Dizzy Gillespie, after 1968

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Broadside for Essex Hemphill poetry reading, 1992

Broadside for Essex Hemphill poetry reading, 1992

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"The Poems of Phillis Wheatley," 1909
"Color" by Countee Cullen, 1925
Billie Holiday master recordings, 1952
"Negro Digest," Sept.-Oct. 1968
"Pudgy" trumpet owned by Dizzy Gillespie, after 1968
Broadside for Essex Hemphill poetry reading, 1992

The African American experience is the lens through which we understand what it is to be an American.

Lonnie G. Bunch III Founding Director, NMAAHC

Upcoming Events

Poetry Workshop: Golden Shovel + Marsha P. Johnson

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Artists at Home: School Outreach

Thursday, May 6, 2021 | 10:00am to 11:00am
Still from Aerial (1975) directed by Zora Lathan

Zora Lathan and Iman Uqdah Hameen: On Black Interiority

Thursday, May 6, 2021 | 5:30pm
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Recent News

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Statement on the Passing of Prominent Civil Rights Photographer Robert Houston

Thursday, April 29, 2021

National Museum of African American History and Culture Discussion Revisits African Burial Grounds 30 Years Later in May Virtual Programming

Thursday, April 29, 2021

National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Deputy Director Kinshasha Holman Conwill Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

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