This year, we will celebrate Black women in their many roles. Sending warm greetings and profound love to Black women and the ancestors who have walked among them as nurturers, guides, community builders, and sages. We will also recognize the critical need for Black women to rest, to "reclaim their time" through peace and rejuvenation.
Join us each month – in person or virtually – to discover hidden stories, acknowledge past successes, chart new paths, and honor the brilliance of Black women. Learn more: https://s.si.edu/3DDHVUT.
📸 1. Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture shared with the Library of Congress. 2. 3. Photograph by Moneta Sleet Jr. Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 4. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of A'Lelia Bundles / Madam Walker Family Archives. 5. Photograph by Maurice Sorrell, 1964. Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 6. Virginia Ali. Courtesy of Ali Family. 7. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gifted with pride from Ellen Brooks.
On the night of December 31, 1862, enslaved and free African Americans gathered, many in secret, to ring in the new year and await news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. Just a few months earlier, on September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the executive order that declared enslaved people in the rebelling Confederate States legally free.
However, the decree would only take effect once the clock struck midnight at the start of the new year in 1863. The occasion, known as Watch Night or “Freedom’s Eve,” marks when African Americans across the country watched and waited for the news of freedom. More on the history of the Emancipation: https://s.si.edu/48o0OpI.
#APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
📸 Waiting for the Hour. Carte-de-visite of an emancipation watch night meeting, 1863. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Merry #Christmas! What showed up under your tree? 🎁🎄
🎥 (detail) Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pearl Bowser.
On #ChristmasEve 1854, Harriet Tubman returned to her Eastern Shore Maryland home to emancipate her brothers Ben, Henry, and Robert from slavery. Tubman had heard rumors of plans to sell the men the day after Christmas, so she sent word to her brothers through Jacob Jackson, a free African American man.
During the slavery era, Christmas became a popular time for freedom seekers to plan escapes because enslaved people often received travel passes to visit family who lived on other properties during the holiday. Once they received travel passes, they were not expected to show up again until well after the holiday. Tubman wrote in code: “tell my brothers to be always watching unto prayer and when the good old ship of Zion comes along, to be ready to step on board.”
The brothers had travel passes to visit their parents, Ben Sr. and Rit Ross, for Christmas. 3 others, including Ben’s fiancée, would join the group on their journey North to freedom. They traveled more than 100 miles, arriving at William Still’s Anti-Slavery office in Philadelphia on Dec. 29, 1854.
#APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
📸 Courtesy of MPI/Getty Images.
Shirley Chisholm
Born #OnThisDay in 1924, Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to Congress and the first Black candidate from a major party to run for president of the United States. Chisholm carved out new roles for Black women in politics, proclaiming herself “unbought and unbossed” as she sought reforms to inequities based on race, gender, and class.
Learn more about her life and legacy: https://s.si.edu/3Zr7eSN
📸 1. 2. 3. 6. Photographs by Maurice Sorrell. 4. 5. Photographs by Moneta Sleet Jr. Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
🥬 How does your family cook their greens?
Collard greens are often a staple at the dinner table in African American families. This stockpot was used to cook collard greens for over 20 years at the Florida Avenue Grill in Washington, D.C., one of the country's oldest African American-owned soul food restaurants.
The various leafy greens in the cabbage family have grown across Africa, Europe, and North America for centuries. But greens flavored with ham hocks are part of a larger Black survival story. Enslaved African Americans stretched their allotments of food by growing greens and using scraps of meat to add flavor and nutrients. Often referred to as pot liquor (also "pot likker"), the broth created by the collards rich in Vitamins C, K, A, and iron – is used as a tonic by some elders today.
This culinary tradition of 'making do' became a beloved staple in southern diets and traveled with migrating African Americans throughout the United States.
#APeoplesJourney
📸 Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Imar and Tasha Hutchins, Florida Avenue Grill.
Black soldiers have served in every war in the United States. In choosing to join the military, they sought to have their service understood by the nation as a demand for liberty and citizenship. African American men and women who enlisted in the military made their service useful not only for the good of their country, but to benefit both their personal lives and their communities. Today, we honor their sacrifice, and the sacrifice of those who still take the call to serve their country.
Learn more on our Searchable Museum: https://s.si.edu/3NZGHVZ
#VeteransDay #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
📸 Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gina R. McVey, Granddaughter.
#OnThisDay, George Floyd would have turned 51. Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1973, Floyd played basketball and football at Jack Yates Senior High School. His talent earned him notoriety as a tight end, and he led the football team's 1992 Texas state championship. Floyd was later recruited to play basketball at South Florida State College in Avon Park, Florida. Floyd gained local notoriety by performing with popular Houston rapper DJ Screw and his Screwed Up Click under the name "Big Floyd."
Floyd's deep baritone flow on songs like "Sittin' on Top of the World" and "Freestyle-Sugar Hill" helped popularize the slowed-down rapping style known as "chopped and screwed." A devoted Christian, Floyd worked alongside pastor Patrick "PT" Ngwolo, Resurrection Houston Church, to distribute Bibles, set up baptisms, and reach out to those living in Cuney Homes Housing Projects. Floyd worked several jobs — at a local Salvation Army shelter, as a truck driver, and as a nightclub bouncer.
Described as a "shining light in the community," Floyd went out of his way to help others and encourage those in need. Stephanie Square, a neighborhood friend, told NPR, "He was always encouraging… he never stopped. All he did was encourage everyone and tell you words like, I'm so proud of you; you're going to make it; you're going to be an example to a lot of others. I think that's his legacy, and that's what we try to do - is to just continue to give back and do the same thing, encourage the younger ones." #SayHisName
📸 Courtesy of Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.
Our museum is honored to announce the acquisition of a larger-than-life, vibrant depiction of Nat Turner’s slave rebellion by artist Christopher Myers. The tapestry, titled “The Grim Work of Death,” is a monumental artwork and visual journey containing 32 feet of history and mythology surrounding Turner’s slave rebellion, currently on view on our museum’s Concourse Level.
In 2022, Myers commemorated Turner’s life and legacy by creating this tapestry, which combines historical investigation with mythological storytelling. The tapestry is composed of a multitude of colorful fabrics, many of which are hand-sewn. In his bold, complex style, Myers stitches together various aspects of the rebellion’s narrative.
Myers includes the literal instruments of death—farm tools, axes, picks and hammers—as well as mythological and religious motifs in the work. Several of the figures and design elements reference Turner’s prophetic visions that inspired his rebellion.
Learn more: https://s.si.edu/3TEepDE
📸 “The Grim Work of Death,” 2022. Christopher Myers. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, © Christopher Myers.
From cookouts to family reunions, Frankie Beverly’s music was the rhythm of joy, the soundtrack of unity. His timeless melodies, from “Joy and Pain” to “We Are One,” forged a bond with his audiences that transcended generations. Draped in all white, he embodied peace and community—values at the heart of his music. His all-white attire was more than a fashion choice but a statement of his dream for harmony, making his concerts a celebration of life and love. Today, we remember the voice that uplifted us, the sound that moved us, and Beverly's legacy that beats on in every note.
🎥 1. Courtesy of Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images. 2. (detail) Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts. Supported by the Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History. Courtesy of the Swygert family, the Turner family and the Foye family. 3. Photograph of Frankie Beverly1990s. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Frankie Beverly & MAZE.
#OnThisDay in 1787, the United States Constitution was signed. State taxes and Congressional representatives were determined by the number of people in each state.
The "Three-Fifths Clause" counted every enslaved person as 3/5 of a free citizen. This allowed the Southern states to maintain their political power at the national level by increasing the number of their representatives in the House and the number of electoral college votes for the presidency. The clause remained in effect until the passage of the 13th, 14th, & 15th Amendments— which ensured equality for newly freed people.
Learn more on our Searchable Museum: https://s.si.edu/3RRuB1p
#APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
📸 Cassina Point plantation of James Hopkinson on Edisto Island, South Carolina, 1862. Courtesy of Library of Congress, 2015650290.
