National Museum of African American History and Culture

Back in July, I visited my friend Jenny who lived near Washington, DC. During our trips around the capital, we toured the National Museum of African American History and Culture located on the National Mall. I had previously talked about the creation of the museum during my book review of A Fool’s Errand by founder Lonnie G. Bunch III, and I had learned more about the collection during the first day of the Smithsonian Education Summit in 2023. I was excited to visit in person and see what I had long heard about.

A tall skinny obelisk in the background a building shaped like a stack of intricate golden bowls in the front

Intricately wrought bronze seen through a large glass window

Antique book opened to an engraving of a young African American women wearing late 18th century clothing and writing at a desk

The museum’s design is extremely clever. The bold exterior appears like a stack of elegant bronze bowls. This part of the museum holds exhibits about African American culture, including a restaurant. The subterranean levels of the museum contain an exhibit on African American history, creating a literal foundation for today’s culture. Jenny and I initially had some difficulty figuring out how the elevator system worked to get to the bottom floor, also known as the Concourse, but both visitors and staff gently guided us in the right direction. At the bottom, the first exhibit was deliberately overstuffed with people, symbolizing the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Do not expect to see all the artifacts in this first section during your visit; instead, choose a side and move along with the crowd. The room flows into a three-story space, and the museum is full but not overcrowded for the rest of the trip. NMAAHC has an incredible array of artifacts, including a book of poetry written by Phillis Wheatly, a handkerchief of Harriet Tubman, beauty products of Madam C.J. Walker, a seat from the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins, and a red pantsuit worn by Oprah. The breadth of artifacts was wonderful and overwhelming. Unfortunately, due to the low lighting likely necessary to preserve these artifacts, I had some difficulty seeing them. After viewing the Concourse, Jenny and I took a relaxing break near the beautiful indoor fountain which flows unendingly through a hole in the gallery ceiling. I wish more museums had this feature.

A lacy white handkerchief with a small sign indicating that the owner was Harriet Tubman

A metal chair with a light green vinyl seat.

A red pant suit on a mannequin in front of a tan couch

The upper floors of the museum were more brightly lit, as natural sunlight filtered through the intricate metal exterior. Galleries included themes such as visual art, cultural expressions, music, theater, sports, community, and activism. Once again, I was overwhelmed by the number of amazing objects on display. Some of my favorites included a neoclassical amphora decrying police violence against African Americans, a neon sign from the television show Soul Train, and statues of famous athletes, including track & field Olympian Jesse Owens and champion tennis players Venus and Serena Williams. Photographs highlighted other famous athletes, such as 400m hurdler Edwin Moses and bicyclist Major Taylor, whose museum is in Worcester, MA. Parts of these exhibits included interactives, but the game rooms were all filled with joyful children, so I continued on.

A neoclassical style tall clay amphora with black and orange designs showing scenes of police violence against African Americans

Pair of grey metal statues featuring athletic African American women holding tennis rackets

The self-guided tour had some flaws typical of museums, including poor lighting in some sections, a lack of seating, a tendency to induce sensory overload due to competing noises, and unclear pathways with limited wayfinding. While the writing style was excellent, I echo the sentiment of one small child who was visiting the museum with her family, “There are too many words, Mommy.” However, even with these common issues, I was truly impressed by NMAAHC. The museum tells a comprehensive story of the African American experience, which differs greatly from my own life as a European American. Exhibits balanced teaching about our shared past and generating empathy but successfully avoided inducing shame and guilt. I was especially happy to find myself in the minority of museum attendees! African American families from across the country had completed a pilgrimage to the museum, often sporting matching family reunion t-shirts or hats and jackets from their HBCU alma maters. The steadily moving lines for the elevators were a great place to learn where everyone came from and how many times they had visited.

A grey metal statue of an African American man wearing an early 20th century sports outfit and running

An athletic African American man wearing a red United States track and field uniform leaps over a hurdle

A young African American man wearing early 20th century clothing poses on a vintage bicycle

NMAAHC is free and open to the public from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays, and from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every other day of the week. Timed-entry passes are required due to the popularity of the museum, as it has even greater attendance than its older sister, the National Museum of American History, located next door. Be sure to reserve your pass either thirty days before on a rolling basis or on the same day by 8:15 a.m. We entered the museum on a 1:30 p.m. pass and were able to see everything except a section on genealogical research, which sounded fascinating but not applicable to our own family trees. If you only have a few hours, heed the warning on the website that just the Concourse takes two hours for the average viewer to complete and is an astonishing one mile in length. I highly recommend a visit to NMAAHC for any American who wants to learn more about history and culture in a space that honors and respects both its subjects and its visitors.