National Museum of African American History and Culture facts for kids
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Exterior of the museum
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| Established | December 19, 2003 (establishment) September 24, 2016 (building dedication on The Mall) |
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| Location | 1400 Constitution Ave, NW Washington, DC 20560 |
| Type | History museum |
| Collections | African-American history, art, music |
| Collection size | 40,000 (approximate) |
| Visitors | 1,092,552 (2022) |
| Architect | Freelon Group/Adjaye Associates/Davis Brody Bond |
| Public transit access |  Washington Metro   at Smithsonian or Federal Triangle |
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), also called the Blacksonian, is a special museum in Washington, D.C. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum was created in 2003. Its main building opened in 2016 with a ceremony led by President Barack Obama.
People wanted a national museum about African American history and culture for a long time. Ideas for it started as early as 1915. But serious efforts began in the 1970s. A law was finally passed in 2003 to create the museum. The building's design was chosen in 2009. Construction started in 2012 and finished in 2016.
The NMAAHC is the biggest museum in the world focused on African American history and culture. In 2022, over 1 million people visited it. It was the second most visited Smithsonian Museum. The museum has more than 40,000 items. About 3,500 of these are on display. The building is 350,000 square feet and has 10 floors. Five floors are above ground and five are below. The museum and its exhibits have received great praise.
Contents
History of the Museum
Early Ideas
The idea for a national museum about African American history started a long time ago. In 1915, African American veterans from the Union Army met in Washington, D.C. They were upset about the unfair treatment they still faced. So, they decided to build a memorial to celebrate African American achievements.
In 1929, President Herbert Hoover appointed a group to create a "National Memorial Building." This building would show African American achievements in arts and sciences. But Congress did not support the project. Private fundraising also failed. For the next 40 years, ideas for a museum came up in Congress, but none got much support.
In the 1970s, new proposals for a museum began. In 1981, Congress approved a museum in Ohio. This museum was built with private money and opened in 1987. Around the same time, a man named Tom Mack started pushing for a museum in Washington, D.C. He got support from Representative Mickey Leland.
In 1986, the House of Representatives passed a resolution supporting an African American museum. This made the Smithsonian Institution pay more attention. In 1987, the National Museum of American History held a big exhibit called "Field to Factory." It showed the journey of Black people from the South to other parts of the country.
This exhibit encouraged Tom Mack to keep working for a museum. But his efforts met some challenges. Other groups, like the African American Museum Association (AAMA), worried. They thought a national museum might take money and artifacts away from smaller local museums. They also worried about losing their independence.
In 1988, Rep. John Lewis and Rep. Leland introduced a bill for a museum. But it was too expensive. They tried again in 1989. The bill failed again because of the cost.
However, the Smithsonian Institution started to support the idea more. In 1989, they hired Claudine K. Brown to study the museum idea. Her study said that a national museum was needed. It also said the Smithsonian needed to do a better job of representing African American culture.
In 1990, the Smithsonian formed an advisory board. Many people at the Smithsonian wondered if there were enough important African American artifacts for a museum. But in 1991, the board said "yes" to a national museum. They decided it should be in the East Hall of the Arts and Industries Building. They also wanted the new museum to have its own governing board.
Efforts in the 1990s
In 1992, the Smithsonian sent a bill to Congress for the museum. But some people, like Tom Mack, thought the proposed building was too small. The bill did not pass. In 1994, Senator Jesse Helms stopped the bill. He worried about the cost and other issues.
In 1995, the Smithsonian changed its mind. It stopped supporting a new museum. Instead, it suggested a new "Center for African American History and Culture" within the Smithsonian. Many people saw this as a step backward.
Other cities, like Detroit and Cincinnati, moved forward with their own large African American museums. In 2000, a private group suggested building a $40 million museum in Washington, D.C. They were tired of the delays in Congress.
Law Passed by Congress
In 2001, Rep. Lewis and Rep. J. C. Watts introduced a new bill for the museum. The Smithsonian also changed its mind again and decided to support a stand-alone museum. They asked Congress to create a study commission. President George W. Bush signed the law in December 2001. He said the museum should be on the National Mall.
The study commission worked for almost two years. In 2002, an insurance company donated $1 million to help build the museum. In April 2003, the commission said a museum was definitely needed. They suggested a prime location near the Capitol Reflecting Pool. They also said the museum should be 350,000 square feet and cost $360 million. Half the money would come from private donations, and half from the government.
As Congress discussed the bill, the museum's location became a big debate. Some people thought the suggested site was too crowded. Other locations were proposed. To save the bill, supporters agreed to drop the Capitol Hill site. The bill passed in November 2003. President George W. Bush signed it into law on December 16. The law provided money for planning and site selection. It also included grants for other African American museums.
Finding a Location and Designing the Building
In 2005, President Bush again said the museum should be on the National Mall. The site selection committee finally chose a location in January 2006. It was a spot west of the National Museum of American History. This area was part of the Washington Monument grounds. But it had been set aside for a building since 1791. In March 2005, Dr. Lonnie G. Bunch III was named the museum's director.
In 2008, a competition was held to design the museum. The building needed to be 350,000 square feet. It would have three floors below ground and five above. The cost was limited to $500 million. The design had to respect the Washington Monument. It also needed to show the African American experience. The design should reflect hope, spirituality, and joy. But it also had to show the "dark corners" of history.
Many architects entered the competition. The design by the Freelon Group/Adjaye Associates/Davis Brody Bond team won. Their design featured an upside-down pyramid shape. It was covered by a bronze screen. This screen was inspired by a crown from Yoruba culture. It looked like the top of an Olowe of Ise sculpture.
The design was slightly changed during the approval process. The building was moved to give a better view of the Washington Monument. The upper floors were made a bit smaller. A pond, garden, and bridge were added to the entrance. This was meant to symbolize enslaved people crossing water to come to America.
The Smithsonian thought the museum would open in 2015. Until then, the museum had a small gallery inside the National Museum of American History.
In 2013, media leader Oprah Winfrey donated $12 million to the museum. She had already given $1 million in 2007. The museum decided to name its 350-seat theater after her. The GM Foundation also donated $1 million in 2014. This money helped with construction and exhibits.
Building Design Changes
The design of the bronze screen around the building was changed in 2012. The original plan was for it to be made of bronze. This would have made it the only museum on the National Mall not made of limestone or marble. But because of cost, it was changed to bronze-painted aluminum. Some people worried this change would make the building less beautiful.
The landscaping around the museum also changed. The first design had a wetland with a creek and native plants. But this was too expensive. A low granite wall was approved instead.
Debates about the bronze finish continued. Architects tried different coatings. Finally, a special coating called PVDF was approved in 2014. This coating was chosen to give the building the right color and shine.
Building Construction
The museum's groundbreaking ceremony happened on February 22, 2012. President Barack Obama and museum director Lonnie Bunch spoke at the event.
The museum became the deepest on the National Mall. Workers dug 80 feet below ground for the foundations. Large items, like a segregated railroad car and a guard tower from a prison, were installed early. These items were so big that the museum had to be built around them. By late 2013, the five basement levels were almost done. Above-ground work began in early 2014.
The upper floors of the museum needed to be open spaces for exhibits. So, four huge walls made of steel and concrete were built to support them. A system of girders around the fifth floor holds up the building's crown-like shape. A large, curved staircase connects the above-ground floors. It has no middle supports and weighs over 80,000 pounds.
The museum's main structure was finished in January 2015. Glass for the windows was installed that same month. The bronze-colored panels for the building's exterior were put up starting in April 2015.
The building is 350,000 square feet. It has 10 stories in total. Five are above ground and five are below.
Opening Day
In January 2016, the Smithsonian announced the museum would open on September 24, 2016. President Barack Obama would officially open the museum. A week of special events would follow.
Museum officials said that construction scaffolding would come down in April 2016. Then, some artifacts could be installed. More delicate items would wait until the building's environment was stable. The museum planned to have 11 exhibits with 3,000 items. Over 130 video and audio displays would also be part of the exhibits.
In 2016, the museum received a $10 million gift from David Rubenstein. Wells Fargo also donated $1 million. By January 2016, the museum still needed to raise $40 million for its construction goal.
Two important documents signed by President Abraham Lincoln were loaned for the opening. These were copies of the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Microsoft and Google each donated $1 million to the museum in 2016. Google also helped create a 3D interactive exhibit for visitors.
On September 23, 2016, Robert F. Smith gave $20 million to the museum. This was the second-largest gift in the museum's history.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay created a film for the museum's opening. It was called August 28: A Day in the Life of a People. The film showed six important events in African American history that happened on August 28.
On September 24, 2016, President Barack Obama officially opened the museum. He was joined by four generations of the Bonner family. They rang the Freedom Bell to open the museum. This bell came from the first Baptist church started by and for African Americans in 1776.
The total cost to design, build, and set up the museum was $540 million. The museum's fundraising campaign raised $386 million. This was more than its goal of $270 million.
Visitors and Tickets
More than 600,000 people visited the museum in its first three months. The Smithsonian required all visitors to have a ticket. They used timed-entry tickets. These tickets let visitors enter at a specific time. This helped manage the large crowds.
After six months, 1.2 million people had visited the museum. It became one of the most visited Smithsonian museums. Visitors spent an average of six hours there. This was twice as long as expected. The museum's popularity caused some crowding. Officials started limiting how many people could enter certain exhibits at once.
In its first full year, the museum had 3 million visitors. About 8,000 people visited each day. This was double the expected number. The museum has become a very popular place for tourists.
The museum tried different ticketing policies. In September 2018, they stopped using timed-entry tickets on weekdays. But because so many people still came, they brought back timed-entry tickets for weekdays in October 2018.
By the end of 2018, nearly 5 million people had visited the museum since it opened.
Collection and Exhibits
Online Presence
In 2007, the NMAAHC was the first major museum to open online before its physical building was ready. Its website included its first exhibit. It also let people share their own stories and photos about African American culture.
Exhibits Before Opening
In 2012, the NMAAHC worked with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. They created an exhibit called "Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty." This exhibit showed how slavery was part of Thomas Jefferson's home. It received a lot of attention from news outlets.
The exhibit also featured a striking statue of Jefferson. It was made using a 3D printer. This showed how technology could help share museum items with more people.
Other exhibits before the museum opened included ones about the Apollo Theater, civil rights, and African American portraits.
Important Items in the Collection
The museum has over 40,000 objects. About 3,500 of these are on display. These items are carefully stored and cared for. In 2016, NBA player LeBron James donated $2.5 million to support the museum's exhibit on boxer Muhammad Ali.
Here are some notable items in the collection:
Items from Before the 1900s
- Pieces from the São José Paquete Africa, a sunken slave ship. These items are on loan from a museum in South Africa.
- A letter from Toussaint L'Ouverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution in 1791.
- A money box used by Richard Allen, who started the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
- A Bible owned by Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion in 1831.
- Historic items from Black Catholic communities in New Orleans.
- A slave cabin from South Carolina. It was taken apart and rebuilt inside the museum.
- Ashley's Sack, a cloth bag from the mid-1800s. A mother named Rose gave it to her nine-year-old daughter, Ashley, when Ashley was sold away.
- Feet and wrist manacles used on enslaved people before 1860.
- Clothes worn by African American enslaved people.
- A badge from 1850 worn by an enslaved African American in Charleston, South Carolina.
- Items owned by Harriet Tubman, including eating utensils and a shawl given to her by Queen Victoria.
- An 1874 home from Maryland. It was built by the Jones family, who were formerly enslaved people.
Items from the 1900s and 2000s
- A railroad car from Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was used by African American passengers during the Jim Crow era.
- The desk of Robert Sengstacke Abbott, editor of The Chicago Defender newspaper.
- A segregated drinking fountain with a "colored" sign from the Jim Crow era.
- Dresses by fashion designer Ann Lowe. She designed Jacqueline Bouvier's wedding dress.
- A recreation of "Mae's Millinery Shop," a hat shop owned by Mae Reeves. It was one of the first businesses in Philadelphia owned by an African American woman.
- The Purple Heart medal and footlocker of James L. McCullin, a Tuskegee Airman.
- A PT-13D Stearman biplane used to train the Tuskegee Airmen in 1944.
- A sign from a bus in Nashville, Tennessee, from the Jim Crow era. It shows seating for Black passengers only.
- A guard tower and cell from the Louisiana State Penitentiary. These items show how attitudes about slavery continued in the prison system.
- A saxophone custom-made for jazz musician Charlie Parker.
- The glass-topped casket used to display and bury 14-year-old Emmett Till. His death helped start the Civil Rights Movement.
- The dress Rosa Parks was sewing when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in 1955. This action sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.
- A trumpet owned by jazz musician Louis Armstrong.
- Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves and headgear.
- A cape and jumpsuit owned by soul singer James Brown.
- Music equipment used by hip-hop producer J Dilla.
- A chef's jacket worn by Leah Chase, known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine.
- The "Mothership" prop used by funk music singer George Clinton.
- Costumes designed by Geoffrey Holder for his 1976 musical, The Wiz.
- A cherry red Cadillac convertible owned by rock and roll singer Chuck Berry.
- Music equipment used by DJ Tony Tone of the Cold Crush Brothers.
- Paintings and sculptures from the Barnett-Aden Collection.
- Gymnastic equipment used by champion Gabby Douglas at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the first African American woman to win the individual all-around gold medal in gymnastics.
- The handcuffs used to arrest Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. in 2009.
- Photographs of hip hop artists from the "Hip Hop Smithsonian" collection.
- Items from President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign office.
- Hand-painted sneakers called "Obama 08" by artist Van Taylor Monroe.
- NBA player Kobe Bryant's uniform from the 2008 NBA Finals.
Modern Art Installations
- Swing Low (2016) by Richard Hunt. This large bronze sculpture is in the Central Hall. It represents the movement from the spiritual song "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."
- Yet Do I Marvel (Countee Cullen) by Sam Gilliam. This artwork has five colorful panels. It was inspired by a poem about creativity.
- The Liquidity of Legacy (2016) by Chakaia Booker. This piece is about how changes shape people's lives and legacies.
Leadership
Lonnie Bunch III was the museum's first director, starting in 2005. He oversaw the collections, traveling exhibits, and the building's construction. In 2019, Bunch became the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He was the first African American to lead the Smithsonian. Spencer Crew was the interim director. In 2020, poet and professor Kevin Young was appointed director.
Sweet Home Café
The Sweet Home Café is a restaurant inside the museum. It has 400 seats and serves lunch. Jerome Grant is the executive chef. The restaurant offers food important to the African American experience. It has four food stations: Agricultural South, Creole Coast, North States, and Western Range. Each station offers different dishes, including vegetarian options.
The idea for the café came from the successful Mitsitam Café at the National Museum of the American Indian. Food scholar Dr. Jessica B. Harris researched African American food history. Chef Albert Lukas traveled the U.S. to find recipes. The menu shows how African Americans influenced cooking in America. Chef Carla Hall is a "culinary ambassador" for the restaurant.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Nacional de Historia y Cultura Afroamericana para niños
- List of museums focused on African Americans
- List of most-visited museums in the United States
Images for kids
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Ashley's Sack, a cloth feedsack given from a mother to her daughter when she was sold away.
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