The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) celebrates its sixth anniversary with a series of programming including the relaunch of the “Living History Community Curation” program, presented by the museum’s Robert F. Smith Family History Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History, which was suspended due to COVID-19.

During the fall, the museum will put the Community Curation Project back out on the road and bring the museum’s digitization services to diverse communities across the country to support the preservation and sharing of community history and culture. The Explore Your Family History Center (FHC) team has guided more than 25,000 visitors through genealogy research sessions and hosted more than 100 virtual and in-person programs since 2017. Online, FHC regularly engages with the museum community through the Community Curation platform, where hundreds of guests are now active members who regularly upload their personal and community histories. 

Since opening in 2016, the museum has hosted more than 7.5 million in-person visitors and millions more through its online offerings. The museum celebrates its sixth anniversary through its series, “Visitor Voices,” illuminating the thoughts and experiences of those who have traveled through the walkways of its history galleries during its first year of opening. Visitors were recorded in the museum’s reflection booths located in the history galleries and shared their stories and reflections on their experience viewing exhibitions at NMAAHC. The Visitor Voices series highlights the museum’s community of visitors and captures their stories allowing audiences to share aspects of their visit— empowering them to see themselves as a part of the museum’s history and community. The public can watch the series here as 30 voices share their stories over the course of 30 days.

The museum will also host a book discussion this month with award-winning actress Jenifer Lewis, known affectionately as “The Mother of Black Hollywood.” The conversation will focus on her latest collection of essays, Walking in My Joy, which takes readers alongside Lewis’ journey around the world as she walks in her joy by seeking pleasure in everyday encounters. Notably recognized for her role in ABC’s Black-ish, Lewis’ newest book explores her identity as a performer and her journey into activism and mental health and shares lessons she has learned along the way. 

The video conversation series “Through the Window and into the Mirror: Narratives of African American STEM Professionals” returns this month with a conversation with Geraldine Ezeka, Ph.D., a fellow at the venture creation firm Flagship Pioneering in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which ideates and conceptualizes novel biotech companies, such as Moderna.

The museum’s “Big Objects, Big Stories” in-person tours will take place throughout September. These docent-led, 15-minute tours occur throughout the day and invite visitors to hear compelling stories about signature objects acquired by the museum. Such objects include the Harriet Tubman Quilt by Bisa Butler, Angola Prison Guard Tower and the Southern Rail Car 1200. All programs will be streamed on the museum’s UStream page.

Starting Sept. 12, the museum will open at noon on Mondays only with the exception of federal holidays. On federal holidays that fall on a Monday, the museum will open at 10 a.m.

September Programming

Big Objects, Big Stories (In Person)  
Schedule varies; the museum’s website has dates, times and meeting locations

NMAAHC offers recurring docent-led tours during the month of September to get a fresh look into the museum’s featured objects. At each 15-minute tour, visitors will hear compelling stories about one big object, including the:

• Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin
• Southern Rail Car 1200
• Angola Prison Guard Tower  
• Swing Low by Richard Hunt
• Harriet Tubman Quilt by Bisa Butler
• “Freedom House”: The Jones-Hall-Sims House

Morning tours begin at 10:30 a.m. and evening tours begin at 1:30 p.m. No registration is required. Tours are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. The public can visit the museum’s website to find the time and date for a specific tour.

Big Objects, Big Stories: The Museum: A Century in the Making Outdoor Walking Tour (In Person)
Schedule varies; visit the museum’s website for dates, times and meeting locations

During this 25-minute walking tour, visitors will hear the story behind NMAAHC’s design and explore its unique architectural features. This program meets at the museum’s oculus on 14th Street and Constitution Avenue. Talks take place at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. All tours are held outdoors and are stair-free. Outdoor walking tours are open to the public and are free of charge. No registration is required. Tours are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. All visitors, regardless of age, must have a timed-entry pass to enter the museum. The public can visit the museum’s website to find the time and date for a specific tour.

Historically Speaking: Jenifer Lewis: Walking in My Joy (In Person)
Friday, Sept. 9; 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET

In her recently released collection of essays, Walking in My Joy, award-winning actress Jenifer Lewis brings readers on her personal journey across the globe, from Cape Town to Bali; Washington, D.C., to the Serengeti; Mongolia to St. Petersburg; and Argentina to Antarctica, demonstrating how she walks in her joy by seeking pleasure in everyday encounters. Known for her role in ABC’s Black-ish, Lewis’ newest book not only explores her identity as a performer, but also her journey into activism and mental health, and she shares lessons she has learned along the way. Michel Martin, weekend host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” will moderate the conversation. Books will be available for sale and signing courtesy of Smithsonian Enterprises. All attendees are asked to wear a mask in indoor spaces for this program. Admission is free; however, registration is required.

Learning Together: NMAAHC’s Special Design (Virtual)
Thursday, Sept. 22; 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET

The public can celebrate NMAAHC’s sixth anniversary with “NMAAHC Kids.” NMAAHC Kids educators will teach participants about the building’s engineers, inspiration and unique design. Following the lesson, participants will create a work of art inspired by the intricate bronze panels that cover the museum’s exterior. Learning Together programs are held via Zoom webinar and led by NMAAHC Kids educators. These programs are designed for 5- to 8-year-olds, but all ages are welcome. Registered participants will receive an email with Zoom information, a list of supplies needed and recommended resources on the Monday before the program. Admission is free; however, registration is required.

Historically Speaking: The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century by Peniel Joseph (In Person)
Thursday, Sept. 22; 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET

Distinguished historian Peniel E. Joseph offers a powerful and insightful new interpretation of this country’s recent history in this discussion about his latest book, The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century. The racial reckoning that unfolded in 2020, he argues, marked the climax of a Third Reconstruction: a new struggle for citizenship and dignity for Black Americans, just as momentous as the movements that arose after the Civil War and during the civil rights era. The conversation will be moderated by Robert Samuels, co-author of His Name is George Floyd, and a national political enterprise reporter for the Washington Post. Books will be available for sale and signing courtesy of Smithsonian Enterprises. Admission is free; however, registration is required.

History Alive: The Paradox of Liberty, Black Soldiers in the Revolutionary War (In Person)
Saturday, Sept. 24; performances begin at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET

Living history interpreters will share stories about Black soldiers that fought for liberty in an era of widespread slavery. These living-history performances will take place within the museum’s “Slavery and Freedom” exhibition in the museum’s history galleries on the Concourse level and are suitable for ages 8 and older.

Robert F. Smith Family Center: “Family History Research for Your Family Reunion” (In Person)
Saturday, Sept. 24; 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET

During this “Living History” program, the Robert Frederick Smith Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History will provide participants with tools to prepare for family reunions. The Family History Center team will explain how to research family history through the census using various databases like Family Search and Fold3. Participants will also learn how to research data prior to 1870, the year African Americans’ first and last names were recorded in the U.S. Census, to identify family members. Prior Family History Center visitors will share their experience working with the center to identify their family history. Admission is free; however, registration is required.

About the National Museum of African American History and Culture 

Since its grand opening Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has welcomed more than 7.5 million in-person visitors and millions more through its digital presence. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu follow @NMAAHC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000.