April Programming at the National Museum of African American History and Culture | Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will host Deesha Dyer, former White House Social Secretary for President Obama, to discuss her book Undiplomatic, detailing the personal impact of the Obama presidency and her “road map from imposter to impact.” In honor of D.C. Emancipation Day, commemorating the freeing of over 3,000 enslaved individuals, NMAAHC will again collaborate with the Washington, D.C.’s Mayor’s Office for the annual District Day event April 16. The day includes a District Day Trunk Show at NMAAHC, which showcases local Washington-area vendors with items for purchase in Heritage Hall. All District residents are granted free admittance into the event with a valid I.D.  

The Sweet Home Café

On District Day, visitors can enjoy a special District-inspired menu curated by executive chef Ramin Coles, including chili cheese half smokes, chicken wings with Mumbo sauce, crispy eggplant and vegetable lo mein. For more details, visit the Sweet Home Café’s webpage. Entry to the museum includes access to the Sweet Home Café.

April Programming Schedule 

SNCC and the Art and Culture Tool Kit
Saturday, April 6; 3 p.m.–5 p.m. 
Second-floor classroom
Art and culture were central to how the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, pronounced “snick”) engaged with communities during the Civil Rights Movement. SNCC hired and trained photographers, gave cameras to local people and used community-based collaboration to create film strips and other visual materials as educational tools. Join SNCC veterans, Courtland Cox, Jennifer Lawson and Judy Richardson and movement historian, Emilye Crosby, for this interactive Learning Toolkit workshop. Participants will dig into documents and audiovisual materials, learn about the role of arts and culture in SNCC’s movement building and collectively explore how those lessons might be relevant today. Admission is free; however, registration is required.

Explore More! in STEM: To the Moon and Beyond!
Tuesday, April 9, and Wednesday, April 10; 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 
Second-floor classroom
Explore More! in STEM is a classroom program for ages 8 and above to explore STEM concepts in relation to African American history, culture or the museum. In this lesson, visitors will learn about African Americans that have worked or are currently working at NASA, and the Artemis mission.

Explore More! in STEM: Our Solar System, Our Home
Tuesday, April 16, Wednesday, April 17, Tuesday, April 23, and Wednesday, April 24; 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 
Second-floor classroom
Explore More! in STEM is a classroom program for ages 8 and above to explore STEM concepts in relation to African American history, culture or the museum. In this lesson, visitors will learn about size and scale of the solar system, spacetime and gravity, and African Americans who have helped with the understanding of the solar system.

District Day Event 
Tuesday, April 16; 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
In coordination with the DC Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs, NMAAHC is hosting a District Day to celebrate DC Emancipation Day, which freed 3,000 enslaved individuals in the nation’s capital. In the spirit of celebration, residents across the region (D.C., Maryland and Virginia) are invited to the museum for a day filled with live performances, guided conversations, and a special District Day menu from the Sweet Home Café. For more details, visit nmaahc.si.edu/districtday. 

District Day Trunk Show
Tuesday, April 16; 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 
Heritage Hall
Visitors can go to the museum store’s District Day Trunk Show to meet and greet local Washington-area vendors and artisans, courtesy of Smithsonian Enterprises.

Historically Speaking: Undiplomatic: How My Attitude Created the Best Kind of Trouble
Wednesday, April 24; 7 p.m.–8 p.m. EDT
Oprah Winfrey Theater, Concourse (in person and online) 
In this vivid portrayal from a true “around the way girl” on the personal impact of the Obama presidency, Deesha Dyer, former White House social secretary, shares her road map from imposter to impact. In Undiplomatic, the reader is invited on a journey of self-discovery. Dyer explains how she overcame doubt, unearthed true love for herself and learned that an individual’s unique worth is not something to be earned, but something inherently deserved. This program will be livestreamed and free, but reservations are required. 

Explore More! in STEM: Having Fun with Frequencies
Tuesday, April 30; 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 
Second-floor classroom
Explore More! in STEM is a classroom program for ages 8 and above to explore STEM concepts in relation to African American history, culture or the museum. In this lesson, visitors will learn about sound, frequency, famous African American electric guitarists and how electric guitars work.

New On View in the Museum 

Freedomways Vol. 20, No. 2
On view in the “A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond” Exhibition

Credit: Collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Maurice Jackson

Freedomways magazine ran for 25 years from 1961 to 1985. Released quarterly during that time, Freedomways was a leading African American theoretical, cultural and political journal tackling major social and political issues, especially the Civil Rights Movement. The journal’s founders, led by editor Esther Jackson, included Louis Burnham, Edward Strong, W.E.B. Du Bois and Shirley Graham Du Bois.

About the National Museum of African American History and Culture   

Since opening Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has welcomed more than 10 million visitors. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu or follow @NMAAHC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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SI-121-2024