Black Museum Celebrates Decade Amidst Political Pressure

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this week with a series of events, including discussions, galas, and museum-wide activations. The festivities, themed ‘Welcome Home. Our Legacy Continues,' extend through the weekend and include a commemoration led by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum's founding director.

The museum, affectionately known as the “Blacksonian,” has navigated significant pressure from the Trump administration, which last year issued an executive order aimed at altering federal museums and landmarks. The order sought to prevent the Smithsonian from using federal funds for exhibits perceived to "degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law." The Interior Department also removed displays highlighting activists, people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals from national monuments.

Despite these efforts, Smithsonian leadership, which reports to a board with bipartisan representation, private donors, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, maintains that the museum's work has continued without interference. "We have not changed any exhibitions. We haven't changed our language. We know that what we do is steeped in scholarship," said Shanita Brackett, the museum's acting director. She clarified that any changes to exhibits are limited to rotating objects requiring conservation.

The Smithsonian's funding structure, a mix of federal and private sources, along with its complex governance, has made it difficult for the administration to directly influence content, unlike federally maintained landmarks. Nevertheless, supporters have voiced concerns over potential curatorial shifts. In response, the administration has indicated plans to place signs in front of some Smithsonian buildings, warning visitors about potentially inaccurate portrayals of American history.

Brackett asserted the museum's commitment to its original mission: "to capture and share the unvarnished truth of African American history and culture." She emphasized that Black history is integral to American history and that the museum aims to educate visitors on the evolution of the nation and the contributions of African Americans.

The idea for a museum dedicated to African American history on the National Mall dates back over a century, with Black Civil War veterans first calling for such a landmark in 1915. Approved by Congress in 2003, the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened its doors on September 24, 2016. Then-President Barack Obama, at the opening ceremony, urged African Americans to view their story as a core component of the broader American narrative, acknowledging its complexities and contradictions.

Since its opening, the museum has welcomed nearly 14 million visitors from 200 countries and hosted over 26,000 school groups. Its ten floors showcase art, cultural achievements, and deep historical narratives, illustrating the often harrowing yet triumphant story of African Americans and its place within the American historical context.

Visitors like Shallary Duncan, a psychologist and history enthusiast, expressed a desire to experience the museum amidst current national changes. "I don't want to see any changes that would mitigate the reality of this experience," Duncan stated, underscoring the importance of preserving the authenticity of the historical narrative. Students from historically Black colleges and universities also visited, viewing the exhibits as a vital educational resource and, for some, a subject of academic study, such as Jaina Dotson, an architecture student researching the museum's design for a project.