Stories

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Collection Stories

Want to Take a Deeper Dive?

Our Collection Stories series, inspired by objects from the museum's collection, will take you on a journey behind the corona.

Stories creates and distributes premium digital content that explores American history through the African American lens.

We are a trusted source of information and meaningful examination of topics related to African American history, culture, and the African Diaspora. Stories goes in-depth on topics to enhance the museum’s on-site offerings and open a dialogue.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the museum has collected more than 40,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members.

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African American woman traditional dance

The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa

During the week of Kwanzaa, families and communities come together to share a feast, to honor the ancestors, affirm the bonds between them, and to celebrate African and African American culture.

A quilted and appliqued textile portrait of Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman: Life, Liberty and Legacy

Best known as the enslaved woman who brought emancipation to anyone who crossed her path, the legacy of Harriet Tubman’s lifework has inspired countless people across generations and geographic locations.

A New African American Identity: The Harlem Renaissance

The Great Migration drew to Harlem some of the greatest minds and brightest talents of the day, an astonishing array of African American artists and scholars.

Photograph of a woman holding a sign that reads "Black Women Matter."

The Revolutionary Practice of Black Feminisms

The black feminist tradition grows not out of other movements, but out of the condition of being both black and a woman. It is a long tradition which resists easy definition and is characterized by its multi-dimensional approach to liberation.

Surprising Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.

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?

The Harlem Renaissance in Black Queer History

The Harlem Renaissance marked a turning point in African American culture. Black queer artists and intellectuals were among the most influential contributors to this cultural movement.

Popular and Pervasive Stereotypes of African Americans

Decades-old ephemera and current-day incarnations of African American stereotypes, including Mammy, Mandingo, Sapphire, Uncle Tom and watermelon, have been informed by the legal and social status of African Americans.

Photograph of three Black Panther Party members outside Alameda County Court House.

The Symbolism Behind the Black Panther Party Uniform

Although the impressive uniform garnered public attention, it was not a fashion statement. From top to bottom the uniform worn by many Black Panther Party members was strategic and symbolic.

Photo of Little Rock Nine in Black and White

The Little Rock Nine

The case, Brown v. The Board of Education, has become iconic for Americans because it marked the formal beginning of the end of segregation. But the gears of change grind slowly.

The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927

One of the most destructive floods in U.S. history was the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927. NMAAHC owns a remarkable set of photographs commissioned by the Illinois Central Railroad documenting the flooding.

Challenging Police and Promoting Social Change

Founded in 1966 in Oakland, California, the Black Panther Party for Self Defense was the era’s most influential militant black power organization.

Sizzle: the Complicated History of the Hot Comb

It is a common misconception that Madam C.J. Walker invented the hot comb. It is also a misconception that she was the only African American woman to make a fortune from the black hair care industry.

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a keynote address at an Independence Day celebration and asked, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass was a powerful orator, often traveling six months out of the year to give lectures on abolition.

African Muslims in Early America

African Muslims were caught in the middle of complicated social and legal attitudes from the very moment they landed on our Eastern shores, and collections at the Museum help provide insight into their lives.

Blackface: The Birth of An American Stereotype

By distorting the features and culture of African Americans—including their looks, language, dance, deportment, and character—white Americans were able to codify whiteness across class and geopolitical lines as its antithesis.

Fashioning Power and Gender in Hip-Hop

From the start of hip-hop, women scratched the vinyl, grabbed the mic, and pressed record on what would become one of the most dynamic and influential genres in African American culture.

A Brief History of Voguing

Historical scholarship has unearthed a world of saloons, cabarets, speakeasies, rent parties, and drag balls that existed since the late 1800’s as spaces where LGBTQ identities were not only visible, but openly celebrated.

Exploring Black Identities Through Hair

Historically, hair has remained at the center of Black identity formation. Hair comes in various textures and can be crafted into a variety of styles. Some of these styles, like Bantu Knots and cornrows, have become staples among Black populations who have repeated them over millennia.

The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth

Juneteenth is an often overlooked event in our nation’s history. On June 19, 1865, Union troops freed enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay and across Texas some two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Musical Life at HBCUs

The material culture of HBCU music is a powerful illustration of the roles these institutions have played in the lives of Black musicians for over 150 years.

Photograph of four women in Team USA uniforms wearing Olympic gold medals.

Going for Gold: Black Women and Olympic Gender Parity

When American society was reluctant to encourage women’s athletics, African American women were at the vanguard of sporting opportunities for all.

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Portait imaages of four black women who shaped education

Black Women Who Shaped Education in America

A series featuring six Black women who shaped education in the United States.

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A History of Black Beaches and Amusement Parks

Arising from the era of Jim Crow laws and discrimination, Black-owned recreational spaces provided havens where Black people felt welcomed and secure, free from the threat of humiliation or violence.

Black Christ in 21st Century Media

Creating Black Christ in the 21st century requires a reimagining and a replacement of the religious and societal image of a European man with light eyes and long-flowing light-colored hair that has existed for centuries.

Photograph of eight women flight attendants next to a plane.

Breaking Barriers in the Sky

The Civil Rights Movement (1954–1968) brought about revolutionary change in response to oppression faced by African Americans in various sectors of life such as education, housing, employment, and politics.

Members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council of historically African-American Greek lettered sororities and fraternities at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland, 1980

The Historical Legacy of the Divine Nine

Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs) emerged during a period that is characterized as a low point in American race relations. These associations were established on the principles of personal excellence, racial uplift, community service, civic action and kinship.

Babies, Beauty, and Bravery

The editors of The Crisis used images of darling children, beautiful women, and strapping soldiers on their issue covers as symbols of Black excellence in order to discredit the idea that Black people were naturally inferior as a race. These covers reflect the many ways that African Americans maintained racial pride in the face of oppression.

Black and white portrait of heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson: A Heavyweight Boxer That Defied America

Johnson not only challenged racial segregation within the United States, but he also lived a lifestyle that Whites deemed unsuitable for many African Americans, which included displaying his wealth and relationships with White women.

African Americans at Work

From enslaved workers in the 19th century to agricultural, industrial, and professional workers in the 20th and 21st centuries, African Americans have always been a vital part of the American workforce. The photographs from our collection document African Americans at work from the 1860s to today.

James Meredith

James Meredith is the first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. University officials initially rejected Meredith’s application, which prompted him to file a lawsuit with the backing of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense Fund.

Hundreds Rally In DC After Grand Jury Decision In Michael Brown Shooting

Listen & Watch

Coco Jones attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Netflix's "You People" at Regency Village Theatre on January 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Pop Music As Black Music with Coco Jones

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis attends Celebrating Greatness: Canada’s Walk of Fame 2022 at Beanfield Centre, Exhibition Place on December 03, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario.

LIVE at the Museum with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

Gospel According to Mahalia Jackson

D-Nice attends the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Party at Hollywood Athletic Club on February 02, 2023 in Hollywood, California.

Crushing Tables and Ceilings with D-Nice

Photo of Nina Simone performing, circa 1960.

Classically Nina Simone with Regina Spektor

Jimi Hendrix is regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.

Guitar Gods with St. Vincent

Journey Through History Your Way

Reveal themes related to the African American experience across time and genre from our Searchable Museum.

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Want to Take a Deeper Dive?

Most Popular

The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa

Harriet Tubman: Life, Liberty and Legacy

A New African American Identity: The Harlem Renaissance

The Revolutionary Practice of Black Feminisms

Surprising Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.

The Harlem Renaissance in Black Queer History

Popular and Pervasive Stereotypes of African Americans

The Symbolism Behind the Black Panther Party Uniform

The Little Rock Nine

The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927

Challenging Police and Promoting Social Change

Sizzle: the Complicated History of the Hot Comb

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

African Muslims in Early America

Blackface: The Birth of An American Stereotype

Fashioning Power and Gender in Hip-Hop

A Brief History of Voguing

Exploring Black Identities Through Hair

The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth

Musical Life at HBCUs

Latest Stories

Going for Gold: Black Women and Olympic Gender Parity

Black Women Who Shaped Education in America

A History of Black Beaches and Amusement Parks

Black Christ in 21st Century Media

Breaking Barriers in the Sky

The Historical Legacy of the Divine Nine

Babies, Beauty, and Bravery

Jack Johnson: A Heavyweight Boxer That Defied America

African Americans at Work

James Meredith

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