The Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History, funded by Robert F. Smith, uses innovative technology to preserve and share African American history and culture.

This Center is made up of four key components: The Robert F. Smith Explore Your Family History Center, the Community Curation Program, the Great Migration Home Movie Project, and the Fellowship Program.

Through each component, the Museum seeks to expand access to African American history and cultivate broad interest in America’s Black past, genealogy, and culture.

The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir with Martha S. Jones

Saturday, May 3, 2025 - Oprah Winfrey Theater, NMAAHC

Dr. Martha S. Jones gave a presentation of her latest book, The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir, which chronicles the history of her paternal ancestors living on the “color line” while enslaved in Kentucky and as free people in North Carolina during the early 19th century. Dr. Jones shared her search for the intricate details of relationships created within the social and legal barriers of race in the South, and which become a theme for her own life decades later in New York.

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Community Curation Programs

We'll be in Buffalo in the spring of 2026 for our next Community Curation Program! Stay aware of the planning and progress here:

Community Curation 2026: Buffalo

Community Curation - Buffalo - Smith Center - Underground Railroad

Our Community Curation Program in St. Louis, Missouri is complete! Take a look at what we did by visiting the link below.

Community Curation 2024: St. Louis

A person reviewing archival materials for Community Curation in St. Louis

The Smith Center spent October 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee digitizing materials for Fisk University, hosting public programs, and collaborating with community partners. Visit the link below to learn about all we did.

Community Curation 2023: Nashville

Steven Lewis and DeLisa Minor Harris at Fisk University

Steven Lewis (NMAAHC Curator of Music and Performing Arts) and DeLisa Minor Harris (Fisk University Director of Library Services) view archival materials related to the Fisk Jubilee Singers and discuss the partnership of NMAAHC and Fisk University.
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Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad Lecture and Book Signing

On February 8, historian Andrew K. Diemer, Ph.D. of Towson University gave a lecture from his latest book, Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad. Diemer’s compelling narrative provides an in-depth look into the life of William Still, a New Jersey born abolitionist who worked for the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society, assisted nearly 1,000 people to freedom and wrote one of the most important works on the Eastern network of the Underground Railroad. This lecture was held in conjunction with the Center’s exhibit The Still Family: Forging Pathways to Freedom.

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Dana Williams on Toni Morrison's Editorial Legacy

On November 18, 2024, Dana Williams, Ph.D. (Howard University) gave a keynote on Toni Morrison’s pivotal role as an editor at Random House, highlighting her influence in shaping the careers of Black writers. Williams used data visualizations, which will later be published in the Literary Data Gallery, to showcase Morrison’s lasting impact. A talk-back with Howard Rambsy II followed, covering how Morrison shaped Black literary culture through her editorial work.

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Collaboration in San Antonio

SAAACAM Community Engagement Coordinator Debra Sewerd with the Smith Center

SAAACAM Community Engagement Coordinator Debra Sewerd and community members write what they would like to see in an archive of their community at a conversation event with the Smithsonian Center for Digitization and Curation of African American History. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report

We've been meeting with community members in San Antonio, Texas to make plans for Community Curation services and programs. The city offers important histories, an informed public eager to lead the way in preservation, and trusted institutions like the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM).

As documented by San Antonio Report: "San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg... praised the project for the depth and reach of its research and preservation, “because the history of our country is locked within the families that share it, and we’ve got to get those families to share their history and preserve it for generations to come.” "

Read the full article here

Center Initiatives

A color photograph of a large gathering of people outdoors.

Robert Frederick Smith Explore Your Family History Center

The Robert Frederick Smith Explore Your Family History Center helps people begin their family history journey and learn the basics of researching African American genealogy.

This color photograph shows young boys opening a fire hydrant on a summer day in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York, in 1980

Community Curation Program

The Community Curation Program is an innovative digital-first initiative bridging the generational divide in African American communities.

A color photograph of rolls of film

The Great Migration Home Movie Project

The Great Migration is a unique digitization service program that partners the National Museum of African American History and Culture with individuals and organizations across the United States to preserve their important analog audiovisual media.

A color photograph of the outside of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC

Robert Frederick Smith Fellowship Program

The Robert Frederick Smith Fellowship Program seeks to build pathways for historically underrepresented individuals to grow successful careers in the cultural sector.

Smith Center Gallery

During COVID-19 and in the midst of our collective trauma, we found community. And, like you, we at the Smith Fund expanded our efforts to connect digitally with guests, collaborators, and visitors.

Capturing the Enduring Spirit of Life: Our Families, Our Communities, Our Histories

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In this online program, staff members from the The Robert F. Smith Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History highlight stories from supporters and Community Curation participants, including:

An interview with Deborah Mason, widow of Baltimore muralist Pontella Mason, recorded by Smith Center Photographer Leah Jones; a panel of Great Migration Home Movie Project participants moderated by Time-Based Media Conservation Team Members AJ Lawrence, CK Ming and Ina Archer; and a genealogy discussion between NMAAHC Ambassador Adrienne Fikes and Family History Center Team Members Hannah Scruggs, Lisa Crawley and Kamilah Stinnett.

The program begins with an introduction from Smith Center Director, Dr. Doretha Williams, and ends with the Smith Center team answering viewer questions.

Meet our Current and Former Smith Center Applied Public History Fellows

Paul Springer - Smith Center Applied Public History Fellow 2024-2026

Paul Springer, 2024-2026

Paul Springer is a historian and researcher from Memphis, Tennessee.
Read Story about Paul Springer, 2024-2026
A photograph of a person wearing black.

Orilonise Yarborough, 2022-2024

Orilonise C.D. Yarborough or Ori, (they/she) is a Black queer public historian, writer, curator and creative from Durham, North Carolina.
Read Story about Orilonise Yarborough, 2022-2024
A man holding a camera

Sterling Warren, 2020-2022

Sterling Warren is a media artist, curator and writer from Washington D.C.
Read Story about Sterling Warren, 2020-2022

Share Your Story

The Community Curation Platform provides a unique opportunity for individuals, families, and community groups to share their stories as part of the Museum's online community collection. Begin sharing your stories today by creating an online account with the Museum and uploading your digitized photos and videos. Visit our Submission Guidelines to learn tips on digitizing and what makes for a great community story.

Join the Community

Philanthropic support provided by the New York Life Foundation

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