National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum is a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum’s two lower floors are historical galleries that are arranged chronologically, beginning with the history of slavery below ground, up through the period of Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, segregation, and civil rights. The two upper-floor galleries highlight African Americans’ achievements in the arts, entertainment, military, politics, sports, and other aspects of the wider culture.
Cultural material collected by the museum includes works of art, historical artifacts, photographs, moving images, archival documents, electronic data, audio recordings, books, and manuscripts. The museum’s largest artifacts include a rare wooden slave cabin from the first half of the 1800’s, a segregation-era railway carriage, a watchtower from a Louisiana prison, and a biplane used to train the Tuskegee Airmen —black pilots in army service during World War II (1939-1945). The museum’s notable collections include the Harriet Tubman Collection, featuring dozens of artifacts that belonged to the underground railroad leader; the Ernest C. Withers Photography Collection; and the Black Fashion Museum Collection. The museum also offers educational programs.
The NMAAHC was established by an act of Congress in 2003. It opened to the public in 2016. The museum building was designed by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye, who was inspired by Yoruban art from West Africa. NMAAHC is supported through grants from Congress and donations by private citizens and organizations.
