What a treat! I knew that I couldn’t leave D.C. without visiting this national treasure. I made the decision to forgo conference activities today and visit the museum because, based off this governments disdain for Black EVERYTHING, who knows what the future holds for this prolific monumental time capsule containing our rich and unreputable history—past, present, and forever.
I reserved myself guided tour for 2pm. Arriving by Uber, I walked to the front door and made my way in the exhibit. The security guard asked me if I was a cancer and that he peeped my crab tattoo. I said yes, stating that my birthday was yesterday. He told me that his birthday was in a few days. I swear, I have never meet so many cancers in one year.
Upon entry, I headed to the welcome desk where I received a map and a quick overview of the exhibit. I took the elevator down and saw that there were quite a few people participating in this one-of-a-kind experience. As I entered the first exhibit “Slavery and Freedom 1400 -1877”, I breathed deeply and let my senses carry me through. This section covered “15th -19th Centuries: The Making of the Atlantic World.” The images and artifacts are exceptional, and the narration, lighting, and the text allows for a comprehensive educational experience.
We saw images, slave logs, shackles, cotton, and sugar plantation scenes. “The Middle Passage”, is probably one of the most discussed and/or taught element of Black/African history. And it was dark—even this section of the exhibit was visually very dark.
I listened to a mother explain “The Slave Trade” to her Black children and answer their questions—they were all girls and had a British accent.
As I made my way around to the “Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876 -1968, I observed a White man wearing a Tupac T-shirt.
I was captivated by the sculpture of Haitian Revolutionary Toussaint Louverture.
The instillation titled “A Nation Divided” gave me pause because here we are experiencing the exact atrocities that our ancestors literally lost their lives over—the systemic oppression, dissolution of human and civil rights, and kidnappings.
Images of abolitionists and civil rights leaders Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Fredrick Douglas, William Lloyd Garrison, Susan B. Anthony, were both bold and poignant.
Moving along to the “Changing America: 1968 and Beyond” with a focus on “Women and the Movement” was personally a fulfilling moment for me. Black feminism, Caribbean feminism, bruk out feminism, ghetto feminism, and hip-hop feminism form the crux of my dissertation research so, naturally I was/would be drawn to this.
While in this section, I was interviewed by a group of students (college) about my experience at the museum, what my favorite section was, what was the most interesting section, and what I thought about Trump’s executive order which attempts to close this exhibit. Oh, I had time today baby!
I shared my connection to the exhibit as a Caribbean American and dancer and scholar whose work focuses on African Diaspora dance, music, and aesthetics. I mentioned why it was important for me to see the museum now and that what this president is doing is blasphemous and an abomination. Black history is American history and African history is everyone’s history. Our culture and contributions are planted not only in the US but globally and to erase that is shameful. I mentioned that there were quite a few non melanated people attending the exhibited—and I wanted to know how they were affected by what they saw and heard and what were they going to do and say about this crime of erasure. Now that they have seen and experienced Black brilliance for themselves, what were they going to do—NOW?
I wanted to check out the gift shop before I continued the second half of the tour—I also didn’t want to run out of time. The store had really wonderful culturally specific items such as books, jewelry, body items, and collectables. I purchased 2 books, “Bad Feminist Essays” by Roxane Gay and “Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture” by Zebla Blay, 2 lapel pins which read “Artist” and “Loving the Skin I’m In, and a National Museum of African American History and Culture T-shirt.
While shopping, I observed several people wearing T-shirts stating, “Republican Cuts Kill” and “Medicaid Saves Lives…Hand Off Medicaid.”
The upper level included galleries of artwork that are politically focused addressing resilience as well as music through the ages that included jazz, funk, rock, R&B, soul, blues, hip hop, and more. Beautiful images and artifacts from our forever musical icons like Prince, Whitney Houston, and Luther Vandross; even the Mother Ship from Parliament Funkadelics was there. Great actors who graced the stage, tv, and film had representation. Comedians like Richard Pryor and dance (not a lot!!) were on display.
A Katherine Dunham and Pearl Primus video played and instinctively, I wanted to undulate and roll my hips. Beautiful images of the Alvin Ailey Company sparkled. I wished that I was able to do a likkle turn or flip, but it’s hard being the talent and camera crew.
The exhibit is out of this world. If you are a person of African descent, a visual artist, curator, educator, politician, activist, archivist, historian, veteran, writer, scholar, musician, thespian, and dancer—you need to see this museum.
If you are a human being, you need to see this museum. It will transform you.
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