National Museum of African American History and Culture
Photos and text by Kim Hairston
- The blue and yellow open cockpit biplane, a PT-13 Kaydet built in 1944 and flown by the legendary Tuskegee Airmen during World War II is on display in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum, located on the National Mall, opens September 24. It has 34,000 artifacts housed in 400,000-square-foot structure. Sixty percent of the building is below ground. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Members of the media photograph Chuck Berry’s candy-apple red Cadillac at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Nine of the ten Olympic medals won by track and field great Carl Lewis between 1984 and 1996 are seen at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. . He placed the 10th medal in his father’s funeral casket. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A display commemorating the the candidacy and presidency of Barack Obama. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) 26902.
- Behind a sculpture of Thomas Jefferson are bricks with the names of 609 people Jefferson owned during his lifetime. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A sculpture of John Carlos, who along with Tommie Smith, raised gloved fists on the podium during the National Anthem at the Olympics in Mexico City on October 16, 1968. The athletes were protesting racial discrimination in the United States. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- The silk jacket and black velvet skirt worn by Marian Anderson at her 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert is on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Life cast of Eubie Blake’s hands made by Bobbiegita Walker shortly before Blake’s death. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Light filters through the cast aluminum panels of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- The Monumental Staircase, a curved stairway in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), leads down to Concourse 0, the first of four levels below ground. As people moved up and down the stairs they may temporarily disappear from sight. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- The Washington Monument and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) on the National Mall. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- An image of the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building reflects on the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- The William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building seen through the corona of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Sculpture of, center, #307 Tommie Smith and, right, #259 John Carlos October 16, 1968 at the Olympics in Mexico City. The athletes raised gloved fists on the podium during the National Anthem to protest racial discrimination in the United States. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A man walks past a portrait of Susan B. Anthony at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Sculpture of #307 Tommie Smith and #259 John Carlos October 16, 1968 at the Olympics in Mexico City. The athletes raised gloved fists on the podium during the National Anthem to protest racial discrimination in the United States. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- The hood ornament on Chuck Berry’s Cadillac 1973 El Dorado is seen at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A sculpture of Benjamin Banneker, a mathematician, astronomer, inventor. Banneker stands with images of Thomas Jefferson, Phyllis Wheatley, Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman and Toussaint L’Ouverture. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Bronze-colored lattice envelops the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The 3,600 panels that form the filigree are inspired by ironwork created by enslaved Africans in Savannah, New Orleans and Charleston. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Bronze-colored lattice envelops the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The 3,600 panels that form the filigree are inspired by ironwork created by enslaved Africans in Savannah, New Orleans and Charleston. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Bronze-colored lattice enveloping the National Museum of African American History and Culture is seen against the Washington Monument. The 3,600 panels that form the filigree are inspired by ironwork created by enslaved Africans in Savannah, New Orleans and Charleston. The museum, located on the National Mall, opens September 24. It has 34,000 artifacts housed in 400,000-square-foot structure. Sixty percent of the building is below ground. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Phil Freelon, lead architect, for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture speaks during a media preview tour. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) 1322.
- U.S. infantry helmet worn by African American troops in WWI. In background is a photo of soldiers of the 369th Regiment, nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters. The 369th received the Croix de Guerre, a French military award from bravery in battle. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) 48406.
- Pen used by President Lyndon Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) 42006.
- Visitors examine an interactive lunch counter display about the sit-ins and civil rights protests in North Carolina. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) 34582.
- Visitors are reflected the glass of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) as members of the media line up for a preview. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) 7445.
- Projected images surround a veranda post carving of a priest by Nigerian sculptor Olowe of Ise. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) 24087.
- A satin Ku Klux Klan hood is seen at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A segregated water fountain is on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A fork and knife owned by Harriet Tubman are on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Madame C.J. Walker annual convention badge. Walker, an entrepreneur who developed a line of hair care products, was the first female African American millionaire. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- A sculpture by Richard Hunt hands in the lobby of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Wrought-iron shackles made before 1863 and used to restrain enslaved people aboard ships crossing the Atlantic to the Americas are seen on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum, located on the National Mall, opens September 24. It has 34,000 artifacts housed in 400,000-square-foot structure. Sixty percent of the building is below ground. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) opens Saturday on the National Mall. The bronze-hued, metal-latticed structure stands in contrast to the marble and stone of its neighbors. Inside there are 37,000 artifacts and numerous video and audio displays with sixty percent of the 400,000 square-foot museum located underground.
In the September Smithsonian Magazine, Lonnie Bunch, director of NMAAHC , writes “The defining experience of African–American life has been the necessity of making a way out of no way, of mustering the nimbleness, ingenuity and perseverance to establish a place in this society. That effort, over the centuries, has shaped this nation’s history so profoundly that, in many ways, African-American history is the quintessential American history. Most of the moments where American liberty has been expanded have been tied to the African-American experience. If you’re interested in American notions of freedom, if you’re interested in the broadening of fairness, opportunity and citizenship, then regardless of who you are, this is your story, too.”
bonnie davis
Sep 29, 2016 @ 16:03:56
Hi Kim, I love your photos especially the recent photos of the spectacular African American Museun !
Bonnie davis