A People’s Journey
A Nation’s Story
Welcome to the Smithsonian
National Museum of African American History & Culture
Museum Opens
September 24, 2016
10 Things to Know for Grand Opening Weekend
We're just days away from opening our doors to the public and we couldn't be more excited to share with you, #APeoplesJourney! Before you pack your bags, put on your comfortable shoes, and make a trip to the National Mall for our weekend-long celebration, there are a few things you'll need to know.
Follow @NMAAHC all weekend-long during our Grand Opening celebration!
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat for some of the best moments from our Grand Opening Dedication Ceremony this Saturday and all weekend long from the Freedom Sounds Festival. We'll also be streaming live on Facebook. Share your moments from wherever you are using #APeoplesJourney and check out our Social Media toolkit for more ways to connect and be a part of #MakingHistory.
Freedom Sounds Festival
Concert highlights:
On Saturday, September 24th
On Sunday, September 25th
- Experience Unlimited
- Meshell Ndegeocello
- Angelique Kidjo
Visit Smithsonian Folklife Festival to see all artists performing this weekend at Freedom Sounds.
100 Years in the making
AFRICAN AMERICAN History is
OUR HISTORY
The National Museum of African American History and Culture will be a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives and how it helped us shape this nation. A place that transcends the boundaries of race and culture that divide us, and becomes a lens into a story that unites us all.
Grand Opening Details
Host or find a Local Event
Powerful moments in African American
history, culture, and community.
Collection Stories
Carlotta Walls LaNier's Dress
In 1957, Carlotta Walls and six other African American students took on the difficult, dangerous task of integrating Little Rock Central High School. This dress tells the story of "Little Rock Nine" and the fight for a quality education for all Americans.
The Marvelous Musical Prodigy
Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins was a blind African American autistic savant and musical prodigy. His flute is a beautiful example of a modern, high-end instrument of the time.
Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis won a staggering ten Olympic medals – nine of them gold – in track and field events while competing in four Olympic Games from 1984 to 1996.
Lives in Pieces
The donor, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, attended the September 18, 1963, funeral of three of the four girls killed in the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927
Devastating floods alter landscapes, ruin lives, and change the course of history.
Through the
African American Lens
Selections from the permanent collection
African Americans have survived slavery, fought for their freedom in the Civil War, for the freedom of others in subsequent wars, and created lives of meaning for themselves, their families, and their country. Since its creation in 2003, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has been collecting items—large and small—to tell the story of America through the African American lens.
The African American experience is the lens through which we understand what it is to be an American.
Lonnie G. Bunch III Founding Director, NMAAHC
