The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture mourns the death of Tina Turner and celebrates her tremendous legacy with gratitude.

Kevin Young, the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, released the following statement today, April 25, on the death of Harold “Harry” George Belafonte Jr., American singer, actor, producer and civil rights activist died at the age of 96.

It is with a heavy heart that the Museum Family bids farewell to our beloved Kinshasha Holman Conwill, a leader with enormous gifts and a force who, over the years, has become the soul of this museum.

Kevin Young, the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), released the following statement today, Jan. 7, on the death of Sidney Poitier, influential actor, director, activist and ambassador.

Kevin Young, the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), released the following statement today, Dec. 16, on the death of bell hooks, American author, feminist, critic, activist and scholar, who has died at the age of 69.

The Museum released the following statement on the death of Greg Tate, influential author, journalist and musician whose works amplified Black music, art and culture, at the age of 64.

Statement on the death of Colin Powell, who has died at the age of 84. Powell was an American politician, statesman and military leader who served as United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first Black Secretary of State.

Kevin Young, the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), released the following statement today, July 28 on the death of civil rights leader and educator, Robert “Bob” Moses, who died Sunday, July 25, at the age of 86.

Paul Mooney, the comedic icon responsible for making nearly three generations laugh while pointing at the ills of society in the U.S., died May 19, 2021, at the age of 79.

One year ago today, the world watched while George Floyd was murdered at the hands of a policeman on an American street corner. His death resonated deeply in America’s consciousness, joining a distressing if familiar chorus of names, from Breonna Taylor to Ahmaud Arbery, killed by police or extrajudicial violence. The swift public reaction to Floyd’s death transcended anger and outrage, moving people to act.