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The Smithsonian's Race and Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past initiative centers on six pillars. Getty Images
Special Report

Race in America

To mark the Smithsonian's multi-year initiative, Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past, which will confront the history and legacy of race and racism through live and virtual events, pop-up exhibitions, digital resources, and other offerings, Smithsonian magazine has compiled this collection of relevant coverage.

Officials unveiled the memorial for the Revolutionary War soldiers at the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery on September 23.

Smart News

These Soldiers Were Buried in an Unmarked Grave During the Revolutionary War. Now, Historians Finally Know Their Names

At a recent memorial ceremony, officials honored 28 Continental soldiers and at least 38 British soldiers who were buried in Wilmington, Delaware, nearly 250 years ago

An 1857 storage jar signed by David Drake

Smart News

The Milwaukee Art Museum Just Returned Two Ceramics Made by Enslaved Potter David Drake to His Descendants

The two vessels, one of them a signed 1855 jar, are the latest to be reinstituted to Drake’s family, who are on a mission to acquire the works of their ancestor

The exterior of the National Museum of African American History and Culture during its opening ceremony in 2016

At the Smithsonian

For Years, the Smithsonian Strove to Bring the African American History and Culture Museum to the National Mall. Now, It Celebrates a Decade as a Beacon of Understanding, Community and Resilience

The museum lovingly called the “Blacksonian” chronicles the past and present and envisions the future to tell the stories of Black life in America

Black History

The New York Times building, with its newspaper logo sign above the entrance, seen in New York City on August 6, 2026

History

The Founders of the ‘New York Times’ Pledged to Cover ‘Every Subject of Public Importance.’ 175 Years Later, the Paper Continues to Publish ‘All the News That’s Fit to Print’

Much has changed since the publication debuted on September 18, 1851. What hasn’t changed, staff members say, is the paper’s mission

Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian, at the Natural History Museum

At the Smithsonian

Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III Announces Retirement as Head of the Smithsonian After 38 Years of Service to the Institution

With a storied career dating back to the 1970s, Bunch leaves a remarkable legacy, most notably the founding of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

The historic Edistone Hotel is located in downtown Selma, Alabama.

Smart News

A Historic Alabama Hotel Linked to the Civil Rights Movement Is Falling Apart. Can the Conservationists Fighting to Save It Turn the Tide?

Selma’s Edistone Hotel has witnessed pivotal chapters in American history, from Reconstruction to “Bloody Sunday.” Now, after years of neglect and a recent wall collapse, the Conservation Fund is working to secure its future

Asian American History

The Asama Maru, a Japanese ship that transported Allied civilians to the east coast of Africa, where they were traded for Japanese civilians from North and South America during World War II

History

After Pearl Harbor, Americans Living in Japan Endured Imprisonment, Torture and a Lengthy Battle to Return Home

A new book chronicles the tense negotiations that secured the return of nearly 3,000 Allied civilians held by the Japanese during World War II

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Travel

Here Are 250 Places to Visit to Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday. How Many Have You Been To?

Journey around the nation with this interactive map, divided by region or category, and discover American history in a way you’ve never seen before

Eusebio Maglinte's steamer trunk, 1920s

At the Smithsonian

Recovered Steamer Trunks Reveal the Overlooked Histories of Filipino American Farm Workers in the Early 20th Century

The artifacts serve as time capsules for an entire generation of “manong” workers and they’re now displayed at the National Museum of American History

Latino American History

A vintage image of author Amaris Castillo's mother, Damaris, working at a bodega

At the Smithsonian

At the Bodega, Customers Can Get Pork Rinds, Plantains and Just About Anything They Need. Here’s How These Stores Became a ‘Community Anchor’ of Latino Life

For immigrants, bodegas provide daily necessities and cultural connections to the homelands they left behind. The recent book “Bodega Stories” paints a picture of one Florida family’s history working in and operating the stores

Flight attendant Lorraine Bay carefully recorded every flight she worked in this log book, found near the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

At the Smithsonian

Thirty-Seven Smithsonian Artifacts That Tell the Story of 9/11, From a Flight 93 Logbook to a Squeegee Handle Used While Escaping From the World Trade Center

The National Museum of American History houses hundreds of objects linked to the attacks. Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, learn the stories behind some of the most poignant items in the collections

Carlos Álvarez as Diego Rivera and Isabel Leonard as Frida Kahlo in El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego

Smart News

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Sing Themselves to Death in an Opera at the Met Inspired by Greek Mythology and Mexican Magical Realism

A new production of the all-Spanish opera “El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego” takes the stage in New York City this week, while a partner exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art explores the art behind the opera

Native American History

The canoe is submerged 15 feet deep in Wisconsin’s Pewaukee Lake.

Smart News

A Diver Volunteered to Clean Up Trash From a Wisconsin Lake. He Discovered a 1,000-Year-Old Dugout Canoe at the Bottom Instead

Indigenous communities near present-day Milwaukee likely hand-carved the white-oak vessel before shaping it with fire between roughly 992 and 1049 C.E.

Each bison is controlled by three puppeteers, who spent days learning choreographed movements and commands. 

Smart News

A Herd of 40 Life-Size Bison Puppets Will Stampede Through New York This Weekend to Honor Indigenous History and Resilience

The massive bovines, each maneuvered by three puppeteers, will roam through Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn

The new app was created with the Rainy Lake Ojibwe community.

Smart News

This New App Created in Collaboration With the Rainy Lake Ojibwe Community Aims to Preserve Indigenous Language and Knowledge

Users can browse traditional stories, learn more about notable landmarks and discover family connections