You enter a narrow space within an overcrowded vessel with people whom you barely know. You are forced to invade their space because there is nowhere else for you to go. The waves of the Atlantic Ocean pound on the side of the ship, making you wish you could get off, but the heavy shackles on your ankles make it difficult to hope that you will ever disembark the ship.
This is the feeling one gets when walking through floor C3 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened on September 24, 2016 on the grounds of the National Mall. When you first enter this part of the exhibit, you hear the sound of crashing waves. It is scary at first because you do not know where it is coming from, but later, it begins to sound normal.
Any visit to the new museum should start at this level, which shows how people who came to America as slaves were able to fight for the freedom that they have today. The feeling of cramped discomfort on this level is meant to make visitors feels as if they barely have freedom to move. As visitors move to the more open areas of the museum, they are enlightened by the progress of African Americans. By starting at the lowest level, one is able to understand the struggles that the race experienced in order to gain access to freedom.
On November 15, I began my journey through the museum from the level that is dedicated to the different cultures that are incorporated in the lifestyle of African Americans (L4). I had the opportunity to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture with my family.
When first setting foot on the grounds of the museum, some might feel compelled to just look up and stare. All you can see are the copper panels that surround the outer part of the building, and you can take a moment to bask in its glory. The building itself was modeled after “three-tiered crowns used in Yoruban art from West Africa,” according to the museum’s official website. The panels were designed by David Adjaye, one of the architects for the structure, who decided to show respect to the people who crafted metalwork while enslaved in areas of the Caribbean and southern United States.
At the entrance of the building, there is a large shimmering reflecting pool where visitors can make wishes with coins. I decided that I would make a couple of wishes while I looked at the water to admire how beautiful it was.
The first exhibit, Slavery to Freedom, begins on level C3. This is where information about the African Diaspora is presented. The exhibit shows the many aspects of the journey Africans made, from the cramped conditions on ships going through the Middle Passage, to the different ways slaves were treated around the world. There are multiple items in the museum from various places in the world where Africans were enslaved and many depictions of how slaves tried to rise up against their masters or escape from slavery.
A visit to the museum continues into a more well-lit area, which is meant to show the hope enslaved people had for freedom, but the exhibits in this area conflict with this feeling, showing that even worse treatment was to follow. One item visitors can see is a large cotton gin that was actually used by slaves for the mass production of cotton on a plantation. Visitors are also able to see what kind of homes slaves lived in, the clothes they wore, they songs they sang, and the Bibles that they used for their times of prayer. These are some of the most fundamental moments in the history of African Americans because they show the struggle that they went through and what gave them the strength, and power to stand up for their rights.
Next, I headed up a ramp, which leads to the Era of Segregation exhibition. This was one of the hardest exhibitions to go through for me. Because of all the images that I saw, I was moved profoundly moved by the images in a video of what took place during the Civil Rights Movement and depictions of members of the African American community screaming and running away from hoses with water bursting out of them while dogs and policemen chased the people, whose eyes were filled with fear, down the street.
Further into the exhibition, behind a red wall, lies the coffin of Emmett Till, a young African American man who was brutally killed in Mississippi in 1955. Because of the way Till was murdered, images of his face after his death are angled so that children and others who do not wish to see it do not have to. Once people have walked a bit further, they are able to read the story of Till’s life and death. At the entrance to the memorial, a video plays to give context to the era of segregation, including the Ku Klux Klan and the Jim Crow laws that were put into place in the Southern states. After watching the video, people are able to proceed into an area that explores the story behind Emmett Till’s murder. The coffin is placed on a pedestal and a video of Till’s mother and close family describing the experience plays nearby.
An image and description of Medgar Evers, a civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1963, is located nearby. Visitors can see outfits that were owned by members of the Ku Klux Klan, learn about what sparked the Civil Rights Movement, and see exhibits about prominent members of the movement, like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Malcolm X.
In the Changing America exhibit, there is information about the Black Power Movement during the late 1960s.
The museum also includes information about the music that was important during various times in African American history. The exhibit spans from the late 60s all the way up until the presidential election of Barack Obama in 2008.The museum also includes exhibitions on the many different aspects of African American arts and culture, including music, sports, visual arts, theater, and film.
The most vivid memory that I was able to take away from the museum was from the time I spent at the Emmett Till memorial. While I was walking through, there was a middle aged woman who was walking behind my uncle and me. I remember her saying to her family that she was so happy that the present day is not the same as it was in the past. As we continued walking past the coffin, she stopped and stood right in front of the coffin. I watched her for a few moments as she bent her head and closed her eyes while tears slowly ran down her face. Entry to the new museum is free, but timed passes are required to visit. At the time of publication, passes were unavailable until April 2017. Visit www.nmaahc.si.edu/visit to learn more.