Special Report

Breaking Ground

Smithsonian Institution

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Definitive Story of How the National Museum of African American History and Culture Came to Be

The Jones-Hall-Sims House, stripped down from 140 years of additions and siding, was acquired in 2009 by the National Museum of African American History and Culture and has been rebuilt as part of an exhibition called “Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation.”

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

For Nearly 150 Years, This One House Told a Novel Story About the African-American Experience

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Powerful Objects From the Collections of the Smithsonian's Newest Museum

Featured Stories

Designer Samantha Black created three special-edition outfits for Claudie.

New American Girl Doll Celebrates Black Joy During the Harlem Renaissance

Head of a Negro Woman, 1946, by Elizabeth Catlett.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How Elizabeth Catlett Lifted Up Black Women Through Art

Musicians Cindy Campbell and DJ Kool Herc take center stage in a 2013 celebration of the 40th anniversary of hip-hop. The brother and sister duo threw a "Back-to School Jam" in August, 1973 and launched a lasting music genre.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How the Block Party Became an Urban Phenomenon

Briana A. Thomas

Singer James Brown off stage near Memphis, Tennessee

'Ebony' and 'Jet' Magazines' Iconic Photos Captured Black Life in America

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) recently acquired David Hammons' iconic African American Flag, which is now on view in the exhibition "Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience."

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How a Celebrated Artist Redesigned the Stars and Stripes to Mark His Pride in Black America

Shantay Robinson

Austin Butler as Elvis in the new biopic

The True History Behind Baz Luhrmann's 'Elvis'

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture acquired three works by Elizabeth Catlett, representing the artist's impassioned devotion to the dignity, struggle and uplift.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

A Trio of Elizabeth Catlett Sculptures Convey the Power of Service to Humanity

Shantay Robinson

The Commemorative at St. Mary's College of Maryland honors the enslaved people who once lived and worked there.

National Park Service Adds 16 New Underground Railroad Sites to Commemorative Network

On July 21, 1963, Gloria Richardson was walking from a meeting when her would-be attacker ran at her with his brandished weapon leveled at her neck. She flat-palmed the blade of the bayonet, shoving it away from her body.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How Gloria Richardson's Look of Righteous Indignation Became a Symbol of No Retreat

Janelle Harris Dixon

Sidney Poitier, pictured here in 2006 at the Cannes Film Festival, died Friday, January 7. He was 94.

How Sidney Poitier Rewrote the Script for Black Actors in Hollywood