Special Report

Breaking Ground

Smithsonian Institution

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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.”

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

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

Featured Stories

In 1963, standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. waves to the largest crowd ever to participate in a civil rights demonstration in Washington, D.C. where he delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech.

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To Mark the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' Speech Goes on Display

Briana A. Thomas

Huey P. Newton (right) and his second wife, Fredrika Newton

The Misunderstood Visionary Behind the Black Panther Party

Jennie Rothenberg Gritz

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.

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How Hip-Hop Was Born 50 Years Ago in a Block Party in the Bronx

Briana A. Thomas

The monument, designed by artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan B. Jeyifous, will be placed at an entrance to Prospect Park.

A Monument Honoring Shirley Chisholm, the First Black Congresswoman, Is Coming to Brooklyn

Why do chickens have wings if they can’t use them to fly?

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Why Are Chickens So Bad at Flying? And More Questions From Our Readers

Smithsonian magazine

Bisa Butler selects fabrics that symbolically honor and protect her subjects.

The Genius Behind Bisa Butler's Vibrant Quilts

By Jacoba Urist
Photographs by Celeste Sloman

Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture has acquired Ebony magazine's bright and bold test kitchen, originally built in 1972.

'Ebony' Magazine's Vintage Test Kitchen Finds a Home at the Smithsonian

Teresa Nowakowski

Tina Turner performing in Illinois in 1987

Tina Turner, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Left an Indelible Mark on Music History

Christopher Parker

The exhibition "Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures," (above, right: A scene from the 2014 Ghanian short film "Afronauts") is on view through March 24, 2024, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History.

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What Is Afrofuturism?

Shantay Robinson

“Spirit in the Dark: Religion in Black Music, Activism and Popular Culture,” (above: Nina Simone by G. Marshall Wilson, 1959) is on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture through November 2023.

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Movements Capturing the Spiritual Roots of Black Culture

Janelle Harris Dixon