National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a part of the Smithsonian Institution and is located on the National Mall in Washington. The museum was officially established in 2003, initially existing as an online platform. The physical construction of the museum began in 2012 and it was officially opened to the public on September 24, 2016.

Themes of the Museum

The museum provides a comprehensive exploration of the history and culture through three main themes: slavery, segregation, and culture and sports. These themes offer a deep dive into the African American experience, providing a rich and enlightening perspective for visitors.

Exhibits at the Museum

The museum houses a variety of unique artifacts that provide a tangible connection to the past. In the section dedicated to slavery, visitors can view several unprecedented objects. The segregation section features a 1918 railway car with seats reserved for Blacks, which was brought to the site before the museum was built around it. Also on display is the tablecloth on which the argument for school desegregation in the 1950s was written, and the first coffin of Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old black teenager who was brutally killed in Mississippi in 1955. His mother had voluntarily reopened the coffin before his funeral to expose the brutality of his death, which was one of the triggers of the civil rights movement.