The flag of the United States of America is a potent symbol that is used not only to identify a nation but also to express ideas about its state of affairs. Within the red, white, and blue of the emblem is an iconic design that has been variously reimagined to convey pride, anger, solidarity, or exclusion. In times of conflict and in moments of despair, flags offer us ways to take positions—whether expressing allegiances or refusing engagement. Artists and others draw upon flag imagery to call attention to social issues and provoke conversations.

Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr’s famous, “I Have a Dream” speech was partially improvised and that the iconic phrase was left out of the original draft?

From the leather and feather of early MCs, to the classic New York City streetwear of 90s, to the revival of Afrocentric garb, to the big brand clothing line of moguls, fashion has been central to hip-hop identity.

Whether it’s the synthesizer sounds of the 80s, cross-genre MP3 mashups of the 90s, or the popularization of autotune in the 2000s, technology has always been a driving force behind hip-hop music.

Historically black colleges and universities––commonly called “HBCUs”––are defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965 as, “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans,…"

Our Power of Place exhibition uses the idea of place and region as an integral component of the African American experience. Here, visitors engage with stories from 10 diverse places in the U.S. significant to African Americans, including black urban life in Chicago, leisure in Oak Bluffs in Martha’s Vineyard, life in the rice fields of South Carolina’s low country, and the rise of hip hop in Bronx, New York.

Music has been a key element in the broader story of African Americans in the armed forces. In every American war, Black musicians have made important contributions, both through their service in military bands and as civilians performing to entertain the troops.