A few weeks ago, my family and I took a trip to Washington, DC to
visit the new Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and
Culture. I have been dying to go to the museum since it opened in
September 2016. The trip was everything I expected and so much more.
Our visit to the museum was such a memorable and humbling experience. I
felt such a range of emotions seeing and reading all the exhibits in the
museum. If you haven't gone, you must. This is absolutely something
you have to see, feel, and experience for yourself.
If I may, I’d like to make a couple of suggestions to anyone who
hasn’t yet gone but is planning a visit.
If possible, plan to visit the museum when you have time to go at least
2 days in a row. The museum is open from
10:00 am to 5:30 pm. We spent the entire
day at the museum when we visited. While
we were able to “see” everything, we technically were not able see and read and
absorb everything the museum has to offer.
There is so much in the museum that it could literally take a few days
in a row to truly see and experience everything that’s there.
Secondly, go to the museum when you are taking a long weekend or
have a few days off before going back to work or school. I remember hearing many people say (and
feeling this way myself) that after seeing “Roots” for the first time ever,
they felt some kind of way towards White folks.
The same is true of the museum.
There are some things you will see and read about that will anger you,
that will sadden you, and will shake you to your core. The brutality we have endured over the years
at the hands of people who feel themselves superior to us? Trust me.
Take a break before going back to work (lol). You will need that time to decompress.
There are several floors at
the museum. We started on the bottom floors
and worked our way up. The bottom floors
started with slavery in America. The
stories. The pictures. The videos.
It’s no surprise the bottom floors of the museum are so very dark
literally and figuratively.
Slave shackles on display at the NMAAHC.
While there were several things that took my breath away as I read
all the exhibits in the museum, the exhibit that dealt with motherhood during
slavery really stuck with me.
I couldn’t imagine giving birth to a child and not being able to
care for my baby because I had to attend to massuh’s chir’ren. I couldn’t imagine caring for and loving my
child only to be separated from him or her later if one of us got sold
away. And when I read about how a slave
owner repeatedly operated on enslaved women without using anesthesia … my
spirit doubled over in pain at the thought of it. He used these women as human lab rats! I was shocked and angered.
And while some things took my breath away because of the horror
and anger I felt, other things took my breath away because I was standing so
close to greatness.
I was within feet of the Bible that was once in the hands of Nat
Turner. We saw up close and in person
the shawl worn by Harriet Tubman in her infamous portrait.
And the Emmett Till memorial …
I first learned of the story of Emmett Till as a pre-teenager over
30 years ago, but his memorial in the NMAAHC still brought me to tears. We stood in front of the actual casket he was
buried in. The funeral photos on display
at the exhibit. The video of his mother
describing what she saw when she saw his body for the first time after his
murder. Jesus …
While I love reading and studying about Black history, I learned
so many new things from my visit to the NMAAHC.
I learned of people, places, and things I’ve never heard of before.
I’m originally from South Carolina and never heard of or knew the
story of Frazier Baker. While I’ve heard
of the Little Rock Nine, James Meredith, and Ruby Bridges, there was Dorothy
Counts who attempted to integrate a high school in Charlotte, NC.
I think the thing that brought the most joy from our visit to the
museum was watching my son read, digest, and learn about our history.
My son loves baseball, so he lingered a while at the sports
exhibits, especially those dealing with baseball. My daughter is only three years old, so we
will definitely take her back when she’s old enough to understand the
significance of it all. We were able to
capture this picture of her in front of the waterfall at the museum’s
Contemplative Court. In the background
is a line from a Sam Cooke song … “A Change Is Gonna Come.” I certainly hope so.
I cannot adequately put into words or explain enough how much our
visit to the museum meant to me. After
all the things we have seen and endured since we stepped foot in America and
the things we STILL see and experience every day is a testament to our
strength. We are bold. We are courageous. We are unbreakable. I’m saying it loud … I’M BLACK AND I’M PROUD.