In 2013, the anniversaries of two key American milestones will be celebrated in a new exhibition,Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963, presented jointly by the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and the National Museum of American History (NMAH). Read more >>
A Message from the Director
2012 marks the seventh anniversary of my return to the Smithsonian Institution as founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). When I started in 2005, the site where the building would be located was not known and there were no collections or funds. Today, I am glad to report that construction has started on the building, which will be located at 14th and Constitution Avenue NW and we have collected more than 18,400 objects and approximately $100 million in donations toward our total goal of $500 million, of which $250 million must be raised from private resources. Read more >>
From the NMAAHC Collections:
Jim Crow Era Pullman Railroad Car
One of the signature artifacts of the National Museum of African American History and Culture is a classic Pullman-built railroad car that once traveled the rails for the Southern Railway. Read more >>
Construction Update
Since the groundbreaking ceremony on February 22, construction of our building on the National Mall has begun and is moving forward. The building’s site is popular with residents and visitors who stop by to view the progress of the 19th museum in the Smithsonian family. Read more >>
First-Grade Class Contributes to NMAAHC
Twenty first-grade students from Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet School in Hamilton Park, Texas, learned about philanthropy, math, and museums as they collected $175 in dimes during Black History Month 2012. Read more >>
Your early support has played a valuable role in our progress, and I know I can count on your continued support to help carry us forward to our 2015 opening.
Please know that everyone at the Museum is grateful for your dedicated commitment. Thank you so much.
All the best,
Lonnie Bunch
Founding Director
P.S. In late June, we are planning a public celebration of our groundbreaking. I will send you complete details about the event once they are finalized. Thank you again.
Help us build Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and
Culture by becoming a Charter Membertoday!If you are already a Charter Member, would you consider helping us with another donationtoday?
Dear Charter Members and Friends,As director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, I am proud to announce that we will officially break ground for the Museum on Wednesday, February 22, 2012. While we could not invite all our Charter Members and friends to join us at this ceremony, I welcome you to join us virtually through a simulcast of this historic event via this link nmaahc.si.edu/Events/Groundbreaking. Pre-program activities begin at 9 a.m., and the ceremony gets underway at 10 a.m.This day represents a major milestone in our development, keeping us on track to meet our projected opening in 2015!
The ceremonial groundbreaking represents just one of a number of activities planned throughout this year. In addition to our ongoing exhibitions and programs, later this year we will host a public celebration of the Groundbreaking on the National Mall. It will be a prelude to the Smithsonian’s FolkLife Festival that begins on June 27th. And those of you who are Charter Members will be invited to a special “members-only” reception and program as well (details to follow).
Six years ago, we began the journey to create the 19th museum of the Smithsonian family. Now, we have arrived at a singular moment in history — a time that realizes the hopes and dreams of so many who have struggled before us. We could not have reached this moment without the commitment of our Charter Members and friends like you.
Thank you again for your continued support and for joining us in this journey to bring the National Museum of African American History and Culture to the nation and the world.
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.
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.
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.
Stanley J. Thurston leads the renowned Heritage Signature Chorale as they perform holiday favorites and classics.This event is free and open to the public on a first-come, first seated basis.Please call 202/633-0070 for more information.
SAVE THE DATE!
The Loving Story: A Screening and Panel Discussion Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 7:00 to 9:00 PM Smithsonian American Art MuseumNational Portrait Gallery – McEvoy Auditorium 7th and G Streets, NW Washington, DC Metro: Gallery Place
The Loving Story, a documentary film directed by Nancy Buirski, investigates the lives of Mildred and Richard P. Loving, a black woman and white man who struggled to live as a married couple in the state of Virginia where, in 1958, interracial marriage was against the law. The Loving Story is co-produced by HBO Documentary Films and will be broadcast on HBO in February, 2012. A panel discussion including the film’s director and legal scholars will follow the screening. The film has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Because democracy demands wisdom.
Admission is free and on a first come, first serve basis.
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Members of the 
Click here to take flight with the Spirit of Tuskegee!
The Heritage Signature Chorale
Stanley J. Thurston
Be a Seed for Change 
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