The National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture was established in 2003. It is the 19th Smithsonian Institution museum. It is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history and culture.
Current exhibition is “Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963” and can be viewed at the National Museum of American History, second Floor, East Wing 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. This is during December 14, 2012 – September 15, 2013.

Mission

The objective of the African-American Museum is to collect and preserve artifacts, documents, and art that reflect the history and development of the African American experience in its many aspects.
Subjects will include the era of slavery, the period of Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights movement. Cultural material being collected by the museum includes works of art, historical artifacts and photographs, moving images, archival documents, electronic data, audio recordings, books and manuscripts.

The Vision for the National Museum of African American

• Create an opportunity for those that care about African American culture to explore and revel in this history.
• Opportunity to help all Americans see just how central African American history is for all of us. The museum will use African American history and culture as a lens into what it means to be an American.
• Use African American culture as a means to help all Americans see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by international considerations and how the struggle of African Americans has impacted freedom struggles around the world.
• As a 21st century institution, the museum must be a place of collaboration. We must be a truly national museum that reaches beyond Washington.
It should be a beacon that reminds us of what we were; what challenges we still face; and point us towards what we can become.

Building

The 300,000-square-foot museum building construction is under way at Independence Ave. SW, Washington DC. The new museum is expected to open in 2015. The museum has created a website to involve the public in planning a variety of exhibits and educational programs on topics such as slavery, post-Civil War reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights movement.