Tag Archives: Museum

History Takes Flight! Lonnie G. Bunch at The NMAAHC

02/14/2012 Nativegrl77

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Lonnie Bunch, museum director, historian, lecturer, and author, is proud to present A Page from Our American Story, a regular on-line series for Museum supporters. It will showcase individuals and events in the African American experience, placing these stories in the context of a larger story — our American story.

A Page From Our American Story

Members of the Tuskegee Airmen Circa May 1942 to Aug 1943 Location unknown, likely Southern Italy or North Africa

Not many people know the entire story of the Tuskegee Airmen. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is going to change that. The Tuskegee Airmen epitomize courage and heroism. Their story, however, is more than just their legendary success escorting American bombers over Nazi Germany.

Their story begins more than 23 years earlier. In fact, from the early days of World War I, African Americans wanted to serve as pilots in the Army Air Force. They were repeatedly rejected — because of their race. In 1941, when Congress finally forced the Army Air Force to train African Americans, the powers in the Pentagon created a training program with one purpose — wash out the men who want to be aviators.

However, the Pentagon was in for a surprise — the Tuskegee Airmen did not fail. They would succeed and go on to serve in spectacular fashion. Their success would force military leaders to take a hard look at the policies of segregation that treated black servicemen and women as second class citizens.

Click here to take flight with the Spirit of Tuskegee!

I offer this brief, brief summary of the Tuskegee Airmen story as a way of introducing a short, but fascinating video that features a treasured object in the Museum’s collection — a restored World War II-era PT-13 Stearman used to train many of the Tuskegee Airmen. The video documents this biplane’s historic journey across the nation on its way to being presented to the Museum in the summer of 2011.

The addition of the PT-13 Stearman helps bring the powerful story of the Tuskegee Airmen to life. Together they help fulfill the Museum’s mission to engage, educate, and bring pride to all Americans.

Enjoy!

	All the best,

	Lonnie Bunch Director

P.S. We can only reach our $250 million goal with your help. I hope you will consider making a donation or becoming a Charter Member today.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the newest member of the Smithsonian Institution’s family of extraordinary museums.The museum will be far more than a collection of objects. The Museum will be a powerful, positive force in the national discussion about race and the important role African Americans have played in the American story — a museum that will make all Americans proud.

Heading into 2012:A Groundbreaking Year! By Lonnie Bunch at The NMAAHC

12/14/2011 Nativegrl77

Thanks to the support of friends like you throughout the country, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is making terrific progress!

In fact, we are already planning our groundbreaking to happen in 2012. This is exciting as it brings the Museum one important step closer to reality. It’s a testimony to the support we’ve received from men and women like you who share a vision and a commitment to see this museum built.

Of course, there are many good reasons to support the Museum, but perhaps the most important is the opportunity to be part of something that will inspire and educate all generations of Americans far into the future.

Imagine for a moment the Museum standing proudly on the National Mall, the three-tiered copper-colored corona shining in the sun, with visitors from across the nation and around the world lining up to see and experience the African American story as it has never been presented before.

Once they enter, they will be immersed in fascinating exhibitions on each floor showcasing treasures from the collection with activities that will convey the African American experience and its role in our nation’s history. It is a uniquely American story, and it is a part of us all.

I know you are as eager as I am to see the Museum’s doors open in 2015.

That is why I am asking for your financial support today. We cannot build this museum without your additional help.

We must raise $250 million from individuals and other private resources to complete the museum on schedule. We greatly appreciate your past support and, on behalf of the Museum staff, I thank you for your commitment.

Today, as news spreads of this important Smithsonian project, our momentum is growing and we are preparing to break ground in 2012. However, the bottom line is that we need your continued support now.

So, please, take a moment right now to make a contribution to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Again, thank you very much.

Lonnie Bunch, Director

All the best,

Lonnie Bunch

Director

P.S. I just want to remind you of the tax benefit your contribution to the Museum represents. Whatever amount you are able to generously contribute today is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. $250 million is a tremendous goal and with your support, we will meet it head on!

P.P.S. If you are not already a Charter Member, I hope you will consider joining today!

~ Culture & History

Your vision propels us forward! a message from NMAAMC

06/10/2011 Nativegrl77

It is a tremendous and rewarding challenge to build something the size and scope of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Your willingness to get involved in this historic project during these early stages is inspiring. It underscores your vision; your ability to see the entire scope of the plan, and the promise of things to come!

Equally important is the work your support makes possible. Just look for a moment at the Museum’s image above. You can see that you are helping to create a truly spectacular museum on the National Mall.

What will be featured inside will be equally exciting. A collection of exhibitions and treasures that will tell the entire, rich story of the African American experience and its role in our history. Simply put, the African American story is America’s story.

You can tell I am proud and excited about this Museum. I believe you share that pride and anticipation.

That is why I am asking for your financial support today. We cannot build this museum without your help. http://go.si.edu/site/R?i=mhj_5OJO7nPU690Zcjf6EA..

The entire project will cost $500 million, with Congress providing half of that amount. The remaining $250 million must be raised via private resources and, most importantly, from individual contributions from men and women who, like you, share the greater vision of what this Museum will be when we open our doors in 2015.

There are many good reasons to support the Museum: the powerful history and culture that will be presented in exhibitions and public programs; the opportunity to be part of something that will inspire and educate future generations; and the telling of this important story in the grand tradition of a Smithsonian museum.

Whatever your reasons, we are honored by your commitment to the Museum. Our campaign to build the Museum continues to gain momentum. With the help of supporters like you we remain on schedule to break ground in 2012.

However, the bottom line is that we need your steadfast support now and are very grateful to receive it. http://go.si.edu/site/R?i=mhj_5OJO7nPU690Zcjf6EA..

So, please, take a moment right now to make a contribution to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Again, thank you very much.

All the best,

Lonnie Bunch
Director

P.S. I just want to remind you of the great tax benefit your contribution to the Museum represents. Whatever amount you are able to generously contribute today is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by the law. $250 million is a tremendous goal. We truly need and are grateful for your support.

~ Culture & History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

National Museum of African American History and Culture

06/02/2011 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

For All The World To See:
Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sanitation workers assembled before Clayborn Temple
Ernest C. Withers, Sanitation Workers assemble in front of Clayborn
Temple for a solidarity march. Memphis, TN, March 28, 1968.
Ernest C. Withers, Sanitation Workers assemble in front of Clayborn

Civil rights leaders and activists were often exceptionally skillful image-makers, adept at capitalizing on the authority of pictures to edify, educate, and persuade. They also understood, and took advantage of, new visual technologies as well as society’s insatiable hunger for pictures. Through compelling photographs, television and film clips, and other historic artifacts, For All the World to See explores the role of visual culture — from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s — in shaping and transforming the struggle for racial equality and justice.

Curated by Maurice Berger, Ph.D. For All The World To See was organized by the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The exhibition opens June 10 and runs through November 24, 2011 in NMAAHC‘s gallery on level two at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. For information about this exhibition please click here.

~ Culture & History

a message from Adrienne Brooks, NMAAHC

11/03/2010 Nativegrl77

Let's make histroy -- Become a charter member today -- Join now

Thank you for signing the virtual guestbook for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. You’ve taken the first step to show your support for this new and long overdue museum. Now, take the next step and become a Charter Member.

When you become a Member, you’ll play a critical role in recording and preserving the voices of African Americans from the past and present for generations to come.

Yes, this new Museum will celebrate African American history and culture — from the dark days of slavery to the individual heroism and collective resiliency that was the Civil Rights movement to the triumph of the election of the first African American president and beyond. This history is America’s history.

Our challenge now is to raise the money we need to build this exciting addition to the American cultural landscape. A total of $500 million is needed. Congress has committed to provide half of the funds needed to build the Museum, and we need your help to raise the additional $250 million in private donations to make the National Museum of African American History and Culture a reality.

In return for your generous support of the Museum as a Charter Member, you’ll be eligible for many special benefits:

For your gift of $25, you will receive a 10% discount at all Smithsonian gift shops and online, a one-year subscription to the quarterly magazine American Legacy, special E-updates about Museum events, programs and exhibitions, and your name added to the Museum’s prestigious electronic Honor Roll of Charter Members to be displayed at the Museum.
For your gift of $40, you will also receive a beautiful 8.5″ x 11″ Certificate of Appreciation, perfect for framing and proudly displaying your support of the Museum.
For your gift of $100, you will also receive the double CD Every Tone a Testimony, a fascinating aural history of African Americans in words, music and poetry.
For your gift of $250, you will also receive the book Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits, a beautiful collection of portraits and stories of prominent African Americans.

When the Museum opens its doors in 2015, it will be far more than a collection of objects. It will be a place that seeks to help all Americans remember—and by remembering, continue the dialogue about race in this country and help foster a spirit of reconciliation and healing.

Please, become our partner in building this great Museum by becoming a Charter Member today. With your help, we’ll build this important institution brick by brick, story by story, and honor the great legacy of the African American experience. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,