ESSAY TWO
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Kenyatta University *
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2089
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English
Date
Nov 24, 2024
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docx
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6
Uploaded by mercy4321
Artavia Palmer
Professor Shepard
English 2089
5
th
March, 2023
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
The Smithsonian museum of African American history is a series of nineteen
museums exploring the art, history, and culture of the people of the United States of America.
It portrays a timeline of the history of slavery in America; it shows the struggle and highlights
the achievements. The place takes you through activism over the centuries and even pop
culture, fun, and sports. The museum is named after the British scientist James Smithson and
is run by the US government. It attracts millions of visitors annually and not wanting to be left
out; I decided to visit the place.
I arrived at the museum some minutes before 10 am which is the museum’s opening
time. The building rises in three inverted pyramids covered in bronze metal panels. The place
is utterly breath-taking, the walls on the outside are bronze colored and create this
illuminating effect on the inside. I encountered security at the entrance for screening and
security checks. The entrance is a thing of elegance and beauty, opening up to expansive,
well-lit hallways at the heritage hall. The museum occupies three floors all of which are a
buzz of activities.
I took an elevator to the lower level where I could access the history gallery. At the
entrance, I was met by an exhibit of the early Atlantic slave trade portrayed by artifacts on a
display of concrete statues of slaves in rusted iron shackles. However, I was impressed by the
museum’s kind gesture of giving warnings to alert their visitors of emotionally sensitive
content. There is even an actual slave cabin in this gallery. I was most disturbed by the glass
coffin set aside in a room of its own. The coffin that once held the body of a 14-year-old boy,
Emmett Till. He was murdered by mutilation for flirting with a white woman in Mississippi.
This side of history had me leaving that compartment.
A door leads to the next piece of history including the first African-American
president of the United States of America. The exhibit of the black president during his
inauguration marks a new beginning and change for black lives in America. On another side,
there is an exhibit of the history of all the First Ladies. This exhibit points out the changes in
trends and style over the period since the revolution. Right from Martha Washington’s
inauguration dress down to Michelle Obama’s strikingly beautiful piece, this exhibit
expresses the change that has taken place for these leaders. The exhibit also gives insight into
the minds of the most powerful minds in American history. Through a series of visual and
written sources, the exhibits show the roles played by different men and women of ancient
America during the wars of the 19
th
century down to the 21
st
century.
Still, in the history gallery, I got to learn about the history of the American postal
system through a variety of exhibits showing the changes that have taken place in the postal
system. The first exhibit was on the history of the postage stamp, then on the changing postal
delivery systems. The exhibit showcases the journey of evolution from the bicycle to the
modern-day van. I was surprised that you can get into these vehicles and get to experience
them.
The history gallery also holds the achievements of the people over the years in their
negotiation for civil rights. One exhibit shows a banner from a protest rally after the police
had shot a black man, Michael Brown. This was a black-lives-matter protest that has been
running and all events in this regard are chronologically exhibited through the hands of time.
In addition, the museum collects and preserves pieces that reveal the significant milestones of
the LGBTQ community and highlights the contribution they have made in changing the
course of history. I got to discover pride celebrations and the fight for gender equality and
identity rights through activism.
One exhibit that caught my attention says “Defending freedom, defining freedom. The
Era of Segregation 1876-1968.” This exhibit goes deep into the years after reconstruction and
highlights the struggle of the black community to define their status as African Americans. It
illustrates how African Americans survived challenges for more than 250 years of
enslavement and still went ahead to create a place for themselves in the nation. “They truly
are conquerors.” I overheard one of the visitors comment. The exhibit further explores the
effect of this struggle in the pronouncement of freedom, equality, and democracy. During this
period, African Americans had survived slavery but now they had to face segregation. They
countered segregation by creating communities for themselves where they could draw
strength.
Progressively, I visited the culture gallery. This floor highlights the achievements of
art over time and holds some of America’s most cherished artifacts. Some of the most
intriguing artifacts I came across were the ruby slippers that Judy had in The Wizard of Oz.
The walls are covered in a collage of black and white photos of renowned artists. An example
of such is a tribute to the poetic James Baldwin where his letters are set under glass for the
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world to see. There is an additional tribute in graffiti for the history of the Bronx. The rise of
the hip-hop culture is highlighted by spray-painted graffiti and clothing from a wide range of
entertainment personas among other pop culture artifacts. The culture gallery holds the first collection of the American dream, aspirations, and
character over the years. The museum is a home for works of art by legendary people,
including the Van Halen electric guitar made by the self-taught guitarist in early American
history. Since African Americans were fighting against oppression and racism, music gave
them a voice for freedom and social change. This was the beginning of pop culture mostly
identified by heavy metal and pop sounds. I was further captivated by the black gold 1 painting by Yinka Shonibare. It’s an early
painting of small circular canvases on a solid background surrounded by black splatter across
the gallery wall. This symbolizes the integration of the African American people and the
smoothening out of the edges altogether. I talked to one guide from the museum and he
explained that the black splatter symbolizes black people and their capabilities. The
extensiveness of the splatter suggests that blacks have no limits and that they can expand their
territories just like any other people. He further explains that the circular canvases symbolize
the core aspects of the African American people.
The spotlight in the culture gallery shifts to showcasing the presence of blacks in the
military and sports. Among sports treasures, there is a collection of medals won by the
legendary track star, Carl Lewis. One picture highlights an outdoor photo of two black boys
sitting on a bench during vocational school football. The exhibits and sports collections
highlight the place of sports in the nation’s history. In the collection, there are baseball cards
as a souvenir.
Another exhibit that read, “A Negro in Sports” went into detail about the journey of
blacks in sports. The exhibit speaks about how African Americans were denied the chance to
participate in sports and competitions. It highlights the struggle that led to the formation of
African American segregated sports teams and leagues. Since sports are the highest social
space that could accommodate African Americans, they stood a chance to play, just not with
whites. The exhibit speaks of hard-won battles in high-level competitions that led to the
introduction of African American cultural practices and presence in sports. As I was wandering about, I came to the Sweet Home Café, which is a luncheon in the
museum. The space felt serene and calm with live plants arranged along the walls. There were
mirrors that make the space feel bigger and reflect light around the place. This place holds the
history of African American food from the colonial era to the present times. It’s a four-food
station offering a full-course meal that showcases the history and cultural diversity of African
American cuisine. These four stations stand for the creole coast, the northern states, the
agricultural south, and the western range. These stations acknowledge the influence of the
African, the Caribbean, the Native Americans, and Latin to African American cuisines. The
restaurant boasts of a rich food culture consisting of different kinds of foods eaten by different
people in different regions across America at different times of history.
The restaurant has a wall photograph of Greensboro Woolworth’s lunch sit-in counters
that serves to remind the people of the struggle to grant African Americans the right to equal
access to public places like this restaurant. This was taken in a sit-in protest against a whites-
only policy at the Woolworth’s luncheon in Greensboro. Other exhibits on the wall also point
out the significance of food in the African American culture. A quote plastered on the wall by
culinary persona Jessica B. Harris clearly states, “We have created a culinary tradition that has
marked the food of this country more than any other.”
Generally, I was impressed by The Smithsonian Museum of African American Culture
and I would highly recommend anyone visiting Washington D.C to visit the place. Their
technology integration that enables virtual tours is also top-notch and highly convenient
considering the museum's size. I left the place feeling accomplished and more knowledgeable.
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