Visit to the National Museum of African American History + Culture

Last updated on: February 27, 2017 at 7:33 am by Lilith Dorsey

Visit to the National Museum of African American History + Culture 2017-02-27T07:33:39-05:00 Lilith Dorsey

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The long awaited opening of the National Museum of African American History + Culture in occurred in September of 2016. Tickets have been highly prized, and I was fortunate enough to finally score some this past week. Located in Washington, D.C. the museum is home to over 36,000 artifacts. The museum’s mission is, as detailed on nmaahc.si.edu –

-It provides an opportunity for those who are interested in African American culture to explore and revel in this history through interactive exhibitions

-Help all Americans see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by global influences

-It explores what it means to be an American and share how American values like resiliency, optimism, and spirituality are reflected in African American history and culture

-It serves as a place of collaboration that reaches beyond Washington, D.C. to engage new audiences and to work with the myriad of museums and educational institutions that have explored and preserved this important history well before this museum was created.

This is quite a list, and the challenge in chronicling a people that has been historically marginalized and oppressed is a serious job. So how did the museum choose to represent this fascinating and powerful topic ? Well there are a wealth of exhibits here, sad, moving, and informative. These make a good start at telling these difficult stories. A wide variety of people are present here – everyone from Redd Foxx to Mr. Okra gets a mention. I was especially pleased to find a case devoted to Julie Dash. She created the first feature film directed by an African American woman, Daughters of the Dust. This is one of my favorite films about female spirituality and legacy. If you would like to learn more please see my post Voodoo Review : Daughters of the Dust.

Traditional Religions in the Museum of African American History + Culture

However, what about the subject of this blog, Voodoo and Afro-Diasporan religions? The legacy of these spiritual traditions is historically underrepresented. I was curious to see what the National Museum of African American History and Culture would present here. I spent almost 5 hours in the museum but I only found the word Voodoo used only once. This was in relation to a sacred drum from Haiti, similar to those used during the Haitian revolution to transmit messages and signals of resistance. There is also a comprehensive section devoted to African Americans in the entertainment industry. Here they place another Voodoo drum, this one is dedicated to La Sirene, the Lwa of the seas. Beautifully decorated with sequins and veves it is certainly a sight to behold.

The exhibits here mention many individuals who were known to have connections to African American religions such as Voodoo, Hoodoo, and Shango, but there is no mention of these things. I was pleased to see people like Zora Neale Hurston, Katherine Dunham, and Geoffrey Holder, but their connection to these religions goes unmentioned. As someone who has dedicated my life to making sure the secrecy and consequent prejudice surrounding these powerful African practices are a thing of the past, the museum I believe could certainly do more to accurately represent the truth. That said, there is much powerful information here about African American history and culture. It is certainly worth the trip.

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