Transcripts For CSPAN Watch Tour Of The National Museum Of African American History And Culture 20170416

You are looking at the National Museum of African American history and culture on the mall in washington dc. It is the newest smithsonian museum. It welcomed its one millionth visitor this week. We will take you inside the Museum Gallery for a look at the stories at artifacts that chronicle the africanamerican experience and tell a shared american story. We will be live for the next 2. 5 hours. We will be taking your calls, tweets, facebook posts. We are joined with judge Robert Wilkins to talk about how this museum came about. He is the author of the book long road to hard truth, the 100 year mission to create the National Museum of African American history and culture. Talk of this museum began back in 1916. It took a century to be built. Walk us through the process. Judge wilkins in early 1916, a gentleman named ferdinand de soto lee created a nonprofit called the National Memorial association. Its goal was to construct a physical memorial here in the Nations Capital to honor the contributions of negro soldiers and sailors who fought in every war from the revolutionary war up until that time. Within a couple of years, the organization broadened its mission to want to construct what they called a National Memorial building to negro achievements and contributions to america in all fields of endeavor from business to education to the arts, etc. Essentially, a National Museum of African American history and culture. It began literally 100 years ago. Host behind you some of the photographs inside the museum that really talk about the experience from slavery to culture to the inauguration of barack judge wilkins its amazing. It is so much for this museum to cover, but they do it expertly well. I couldnt be prouder of the way the smithsonian has handled it. When you think about it, the people who were inspired to create this were in part responding to the movie birth of a nation, essentially a racist slander against the africanamerican people and argued they were a burden on america, and that the ku klux klan was needed to set things right in the south. One of the first rallies that National Memorial association had in 1916, the flyer had, and all capital letters birth of a race. They were responding to that and affirming that we needed to be recognized as not a burden on this country, but as contributing to it. Just think about the irony of 100 years later, this Museum Opening with barack obama presiding over the dedication ceremony. Host a decade and a half ago, our network focused on american writers. One who testified before congress in the late 1960s, you quote him in your book. James baldwin. What did he say for the need for a museum of like this . Host James Baldwin warned congress, he said, my history contains features about america. Its going to be hard to teach it. I paraphrased him with the title of my book. He said we were interconnected people, black and white. He said that this history had to be told. Im quoting from him, he said i am the flesh of your flesh and bone of your bone. Ive been here as long as you have been here, longer. I paid for it as much as you have. It is my country, too. Do recognize that this is the whole question. My history and culture has got to be taught. It is yours. Really profound statement that i think was quite accurate. This museum does that. It tells the nations story through the lens of african people, but it is the nations story. Host i want to talk about you because you are a judge in the d. C. Circuit court of appeals. You quit your job many years ago with two young children, what did your wife say . Judge wilkins luckily, she did say im divorcing you. She was very supportive. We agreed to live off of our savings and a lot of beans and cornbread and go from two salaries to one when i left my job and she was seven months pregnant with our second child but as a quest. We saw it as something that needs to happen, just like the Holocaust Museum needed to happen to him at museum of the American Indian needed to happen. We need to find a way to support efforts to make this museum happened. Host what motivated you to do this . Judge wilkins i think there are a lot of things. I was a public defender here in washington, and i dealt with so much tragedy every day. I had so many clients who were young people who didnt have much hope, didnt have much selfesteem, who were africanamerican and didnt have any sense that their people have contributed to this country. They really werent adequately taking advantage of the opportunities that they had. I wanted there to be a place where they could see how much people had sacrificed for them to make this country better, to make there be opportunities for education and to vote, and perhaps to make them see the results differently. And so, anyway, working on this museum was therapy for me because it helped me feel like i was contributing to something, and perhaps helping to build something. Host how did two world wars and more recently, 9 11, delay this project . Judge wilkins Congress Passed a law to authorize the construction of what was essentially this museum in 1929. You had the Great Depression and world war ii interfere. The Africanamerican Community was trying to survive during the depression and support the country during world war ii. They were focused on victory at home and victory overseas. Victory at home with civil rights and Voting Rights and hopefully the end to segregation. Those took priority over efforts to create this museum. Its part of the reason why it took 100 years for this to come to be host the role of congressman john lewis. What was it . Judge wilkins congressman john lewis is the hero here, as he is the hero for so many other things. He started working on this issue from the time he got to congress in 1986. Congressman Mickey Leland was leading efforts. He was tragically killed in an airplane accident, and john lewis picked up the mantle and phosphorus and fought for this through good times and bad. He built a Bipartisan Coalition around the time of 2000, 2001, and recruited key republicans like senator sam brownback, congressman jc watts, and ultimately president bush and Vice President cheney, among others. He brought everyone together on one accord to get this done. Host were going to get a to wear with mary elliott and then talk about the design of the museum. We want stuff about the location, because it was not without controversy. What did the state department have to do with this site . Judge wilkins infighting for location on the mall, i and others did a lot of research, and learned that Pierre Lenfant designed the capital for president washington, they designated this site here for a building, and in 1911, the state department drew up plans for their headquarters to be at this location. They ultimately built their headquarters later about a mile away but we used those two designs to argue that this site was historically appropriate for this museum, and that this museum should go on the mall, and at this site was available. There were many people arguing that the mall was full, but there was no room at the n at the inn, so to speak. Host who gave you the resistance . What was their argument that you could have a museum, but not on the mall . Judge wilkins they felt the American Indian museum was going to be constructed on what they thought was the last appropriate site for building on the mall based on plans that had been drawn up in the 60s in the 1960s. It wanted this museum to be constructed either in the arts and Industries Building next to the smithsonian castle, or just off of the mall. Our argument was that this is americas front yard, the national mall. This museum should be here. As john lewis put it, he grew up in the south having to enter white people homes and establishments from the back door. He didnt want this museum to be at the back door. It needed to be in the front yard. Host not surprisingly on a springlike day and washington dc, this museum was crowded earlier this afternoon. At the top of our program as we said, one million visitors and growing. Did you ever expected to be this popular the soon . Judge wilkins i do the nation was thirsting for this museum, but i have to confess, i didnt know that the reaction would be this positive and the strong. It really hardens me to see it. I think it is long overdue, obviously, but also the quality of the museum itself, the smithsonian did a phenomenal job. The founding director and his staff are just the top experts in their field. They really put together Something Special here. Host august us through the process involving president george w. Bush and republicans and democrats on capitol hill finally getting this project underway. What transpired . Judge wilkins you had republicans and democrats come together and say, look, enough is enough. This has been talked about for decades. Lets build this museum. It needs to happen. In may of 2001, legislation was introduced. It had all the leadership of both parties as cosponsors. It looked like it was set to go. Then september 11 happens, and that really took the wind out of the sails of the movement to build this museum because congress was completely preoccupied with capturing osama bin laden, war, the patriot act, creating the department of homeland security, the economy going down. It looked like this museum was going to be delayed, or perhaps even put off track indefinitely. But congressman lewis and the coalition he built reached a compromise and said, lets create a president ial commission to plan how to move forward. That Bipartisan Commission determined that there would be support for this with private funds and collections. We delivered that plan to congress, and congress acted on it and passed legislation practically unanimously in the house and senate. It was signed by president bush in 2003. Host what was the final price tag . How many federal dollars and private dollars . And how many artifacts . Is there a count . Judge wilkins i believe the final price tag was 540 million. Congress agreed to put off half to put up half, and the coalition had to raise the other half. They raised over 330 million. I believe the number of artifacts is in the tens of thousands area i dont want to quote a number in the tens of thousands. I dont want to quote a number. And a digitized tens of thousands of objects, so there is a digital presence for this museum, as well. Host is this a memorial . Judge wilkins i think it is, in part, a memorial. Is a long overdue recognition of the sacrifice that people of african descent have made in this country. It honors the quest for freedom that theyve always had. In a way, they have made this country much better by making this country really live up to the words in the constitution and the bill of rights for all people, not just for some. Host as the author of the book long, hard road to truth, final question. Has it met your expectations . Judge wilkins definitely. It has exceeded my expectations. The building itself is just beautiful. Its a magnificent structure. Its an engineering marvel. But the content, i think the exhibits really speak to the essence of the Africanamerican Community and the culture. Host thank you very much for being with us here on cspan. We are going to show you the exhibits dealing with slavery and freedom with mary elliott will he come back in about 25 minutes. With mary elliott. When we come back in about 25 minutes, we will answer your questions here on American History tv. Mary lets start looking at one of the opening labels for the slavery and freedom exhibition. Behind me is the label that speaks to the making of the atlantic world. It is really powerful because we feature the story of queen nzinga. She aligned with others to avoid her people being involved in the slave trade. Right below her story is a quote from a gentleman of european descent. The statement says while i admit i am sickened at the purchase of slaves, i must be mom, because how will we do without sugar or wrong . Whats important about that is to think about the morality of this particular story. What moral obligations to we have to each other . Concentrate on that opening line. I admit i am sickened at the purchase of slaves, but i must be mum, because how will we do without sugar or rom sugar or rum . We start this exhibition with the story of humanity, looking at africa as a continent made up of many people, societies, intellect. Lets look at some of the other objects in the exhibition. As we discussed, we just came through the beginning of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, looking at the making of the atlantic world. And really, the making of a global economy. Drive of the trade at that time was sugar, and that driver moved forward the effort to ship as many humans across the Atlantic Ocean forced into slavery. Now we come to the story of the Middle Passage. The Middle Passage being that space transporting africans from the west coast of africa throughout the americas across the Atlantic Ocean. We are fortunate to feature some really dynamic object in the space, including artifacts from a slave ship found off the coast of south africa. Its actually left to lisbon, went to mozambique, picked up captive africans on its way to brazil to sell them as enslaved africans. The ship crashed off the coast of south africa. We are fortunate to have organized with George Washington university and the university of cape town and partners in mozambique as we were able to i did find the slave ship wreck on the ocean floor off the coast of south africa. One of the key markers to identify this as a slave ship wreck is some of the Archival Research revealed that there were 1400 ballast stones on the ship, used to offset the human weight. We know that there were ballast stones on the ship because we found them on the ocean floor. We are excited to be able to feature those in this particular space. One thing visitors will note is that we do not have images in this space. We wanted those who went through this experience to speak for themselves. While we talk about this human story, the human story extends to everybody. You will hear voices of those who were enslaved, but also voices of crew members. Voices of slave ship surgeons, all discussing the horrors of this experience. But also understand there is an important understanding of the resistance, the resilience, and the survival. We think of human suffering, but you also have to think of the power of the humans. How can someone hold on to live through that experience . Across the way is the transatlantic trade slave space. In that space, we have a design where using the business of the trade where you see the business of the trade. See how everyone benefited from the trade. We also looked at the human cost through the voices of those enslaved and the process of enslavement. One of the objects i like to point out to you in that particular space is the wage book. The wage book features the wage is given to crew members who served on a slave ship. Again, looking at the human story. We look at the crew members on the slave ship, and that document tells us two things. One, as lets us understand that everyone benefited from the trade, but then you have to ask yourself, why would someone serve on a slave ship . We often think, well, perhaps they wanted to gain passage to the new world, or they needed to feed their family, or perhaps they thought it was just fine to make money and profit off the sale of humans. It is important to note, when you open up that book, you will find many crewmembers actually committed suicide or ran away. This goes to the Human Experience. The Human Experience extends to everybody. Looking at the people below in the halls of the ship, we understand that slave ship crewmembers would pack the hulls of that ship, and that experience oftentimes depends on how many enslaved people you can fit in the hall of a ship. In the hull of a ship. Now we go into the colonial north america he and allow me to explain to you some of the design treatments we used to help unpack this story. In fact, we break out the section by region, because this is not a monolithic story. Africans and americans shake the landscape and were shaped by the landscape. We include the chesapeake, we look at the making of race. We move into low country, down and the carolinas and in georgia, and that allows us to look at enslaving still. We come to louisiana and consider the convergence of culture. Finally we come to the north, and look at the urban environment and a merchant system. What is important to note is, and each of these bases, the treatments are done and a pattern, but the each have their own unique feature. Its important for lee to net you its important for me to let you know about that pattern. You will also see how the laws change over time and start to define whiteness and you start to see how africans become black in america. You start to see the status development of all people in north america from elites to white farmers to poor whites, free blacks, and enslaved africans. You look at work in the space, life, escape, and then we really start to unpack the story of freedom as a story of rebellion. We humanize everything, so we feature individual stories, personal stories about people who actually lived, labored, and rebelled during this time. All of this is foundational to the development of the nation. What comes next is the fight for liberty. Remember, slavery and freedom was from the beginning. The fight for liberty is a national fight, but the fight for freedom is one that had been going on amongst africans from the time they were carried from the imperial all the way to this point. Why dont we go to the section on the paradox of liberty, we start to unpack the story of what liberty and freedom mean, and this Pivotal Moment in time as the nation is taking shape. Weve come from colonial north america and passing through the story about the revolutionary war. As i mentioned, we are entering into the paradox of liberty. First, let me show you a powerful object that is personal and speaks to genealogy and the importance that the role of genealogy plays in helping tell the story. We enter into this revolutionary period, and there is freedom everywhere, or so you would think. Here we have a space that looks at free communities of color that were all over the nation at the time. One of the poignant objects we have also shows that while they were free communities of color, there were limits to that freedom. We were fortunate to be contacted by a woman, and thompson, a woman in virginia who took the time Elaine Thompson, a woman in virginia who took the time to share her heirloom piece of by her ancestor. He made that handmade to protect his freedom. It was used to protect the freedom papers from 1852. Those freedom papers were vastly important to him, because at any moments notice, someone could challenge his freedom, and he would have to prove that. He had to register every two years in virginia, and it gives us a little more insight on the personal experience of being free during this particular time. Sadly, Elaine Thompson has passed on, but she was the steward of her familys history, and she was able to unpack quite a bit of her familys story. We are very fortunate, because at this point, her greatniece has now picked up the mantle, and she is carrying it forward. She wrote a book at age nine with the assistance of her great aunt, and she is now getting ready to rewrite that book at age 16 and carry that Genealogical Research further. We are looking forward to working with her more on at this point, her greatniece has now picked up the mantle, unpacking the story of this family and the significant of Joseph Trammell during the. Of slavery during the period of slavery with his status of a free man. Lets look at the status of liberty. We talk about the story of free communities of color. At the time, you had free africanamericans who aligned with enslaved africanamericans, a collective voice fighting for freedom. Theyre fighting for freedom in a nation founded on liberty, but still maintaining slavery. Directly behind me, you see the figures of benjamin banner and Thomas Jefferson. We really unpack that story of voices of freedom. Included on that platform, a woman who petition for her freedom in massachusetts and one, as well as phillis wheatley, all voices of freedom. What is powerful to me about the connections between banneker and jefferson includes Benjamin Banneker sending his almanac to Thomas Jefferson and stating, africanamericans are brilliant. They are human. They contribute to the development of this nation and deserve to be free. Excuse me if i paraphrase, but Thomas Jefferson essentially said, you are the exception, and freedom was not going to come during his particular time. Now why dont we go forward and look at making a way. This is a human story, so in the midst of all of this inhumanity, you still have africanamericans fighting for freedom, for liberty, for the nation to recognize them as citizens in this world. But as we go forward, we look at laws restricting them, but africanamericans found ways to go around those laws and hold on to their humanity. Understand that many things happen after the revolutionary war, including the development of the cotton gin in 1793 and the Louisiana Purchase and the end of the International Slave trade in 1808. What did all that mean . Please note the space we are in right now. Directly in front of me is a tower of cotton, a marker as a driver of the trade, no different than sugar was during the early period. As we come out of this paradox of liberty and look directly to my right, all of these pieces of legislation from the declaration of independence, the constitution, the bill of rights , all through the 1820 compromise, kansasnebraska act, dred scott, you see actual excerpts from speeches, sermons, newspaper articles, all written by africanamericans. To my left, the story of the domestic slave trade. Remember, 1793, the cotton gin is produced. 1803, the Louisiana Purchase takes place. That means there is more land to cultivate cotton, and cotton is high demand. It is being produced more efficiently, but that demand has an impact on africanamerican bodies and mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands, and wives being sold away from the upper south to the lower south to produce more cotton in the fields. At the same time, remove or, this is a story of slavery and freedom. Those same men, women, and children are fighting for their freedom all along the way, defining freedom for this nation. One of the more pivotal stories and iconic stories is that of matt turner that of nat turner. We feature a bible we understand was owned by turner at the time of his escape and the rebellion. Nat turner is pivotal because, like many rebellions, it took place throughout the nation and throughout the African Diaspora. It really made an impact on this country. Laws tightened up, and while those laws tightened up, still africanamericans found ways to go around those laws. Allow me to point out that we have a section directly behind me entitled making a way out of no way, where look at the black codes and slave codes defined status and ability and autonomy. African americans, oftentimes were restricted more than you can imagine. For example, illegal to mary, illegal to read, illegal to practice their faith. One of the objects and would like to point out is a family object. We were fortunate enough to be contacted by Shirley Burke in detroit, who donated her ancestors violin that he was given by a slave owner to perform during gatherings at the plantation site. We were fortunate to restore the violin and have it on display here. That violin is important to the law regarding illegal gather illegal to gather. Oftentimes, they would find ways to gather and practice their faith, leisure and love one another. Allow us to go down the hall and see the slave cabin, a very poignant story, and a community story. This is a shared history. We have come from the story of the driver of the trade being cotton, and we are in the antebellum. You see the nation and all the cacophony of activity going on, and the development of legislation, deeply embedded with slavery. We look at the human story of africanamerican men, women, and children finding way to go around lack codes and slave codes. We also have a deeper understanding of that very personal experience of being sold away on the Auction Block and that juxtaposition of profit and power associated with that experience. Its important to note that one of the design features we have in this exhibition is that we have a wall filled with excerpts from bills and sales and broadsides. You will see a young boy sold for five dollars. Five dollars for a young black boy. Understand that five dollars is the monetary value, but the value of that young boy to his mother, to his brother or sister is immeasurable. That gets us to the story of life, work, and enslavement, and looking at the many complexities of the Human Experience during the antebellum. We are fortunate enough that we were able to receive a call from a Preservation Society that wanted to donate a slave cabin to our museum. They knew we were looking for a slave cabin to help tell the story in a powerful way. They had one from a plantation located in South Carolina. Whats really powerful about this cabin is on the front side, you interpret it looking at savory at slavery. On the back, we interpret it looking at freedom. That is where the union army cant doubt during the period of the civil war. Union army camp out during the period of the civil war. Lets talk about the interpretation in terms of slavery. Notice the cabin behind me. What is important is not unlike where people locked up animals at night that worked in the fields, not unlike the enslaved men and women and children, this could be considered a pen. Africanamerican men, women, and children him of her resistance and holding onto their humanity, found ways to love one, practice their faith, grow gardens on the side of the cabins to supplement their diet, and create new cultural practices. While we look at life, work, and enslavement, and this same space, we break down members of the community. The nurturers, the builders, the cold debaters. Allow me to speak about the builders as one example. The story of solomon williams, a blacksmith on a plantation in kaine river. We look at his story. He created an ornate drillbit used practically every day for work on the plantation site. This is a gentleman who had no education, but this drillbit is an architectural feat. You look at his same skill set he used to create an ornate trademark or for his wife. He used those skills to create great markers for members of the enslaved community throughout the plantation. He also created the shackles used on the enslaved on the plantation. That gives us more depth. We dont look at a broad stroke. We dont look at just what he wore, what he ate, when he got up a new morning, how much land he cultivated. This is a man, and his story is told through life in terms of how he designed those ornate great markers, in terms of his inability to be educated, but still being able to create that ornate double helix drillbit, and in terms of placement in terms of enslavement, being responsible for creating the shackles of the slave site. That takes us to the story of the coming of the civil war. Allow me to take you around and talk about the coming of the civil war and how complex that story is. It is not just north versus south. There were many voices involved in this fight. We have just come from the slave cabin. One thing i want to point out is we can talk about objects and their importance in the historical context, but what is also important is how we acquire these objects. In the process of dismantling the slave cabin, we had Community Members come out and help us unpack the story of the community. Included in that community are the descendents of the enslaved as well as the slaveholding families. We were very fortunate to meet with both groups together and talk about the importance of this history coming to the general public to get a deeper understanding of what it is to be american and all the complexities and nuances of this particular story of slavery and freedom in the u. S. We know about slavery and about freedom, and we know there was a civil war which had a major impact on this nation. We look at the story of the civil war and keeping the union together. Embedded in the papers is slavery, but understand that africanamericans fled to the union lines. The confederates demanded their property back, but the union army declared them contraband of war, and as such, they were able to keep them as contraband of war. These men, women, and children turned to spite turned a fight for keeping the union together into a fight for freedom. One of the greatest speakers of our time and most influential members of the Africanamerican Community and america itself is frederick douglas. Frederick douglass led the charge on pushing for freedom and cuddle with abraham lincoln, in short africanamerican men could fight on the battlefield and, with abraham lincoln, insured africanamerican men to fight on the battlefield. You can only imagine how powerful that mustve been for africanamerican men to understand they could suit up and fight for their freedom and ensure the freedom of the generations that followed them. Frederick douglas played a pivotal role. While the insured africanamerican men could fight in the union army, he was also influential in a constant dialogue with president lincoln to ensure that freedom came through the emancipation proclamation and the 13th amendment. We would be remiss if we told the story of the civil war and left out the story of womens involvement. You will see artifacts that speak to the efforts of charlotte, who educated many of the people at these contraband cant. You will see the story of harriet tubman, with many of us know, she was the underground railroad, but also served as a union spy. You will also see the story of susie king taylor, who served as a nurse and opened up her own hospital. While we go forward and look at some of the artifacts that speak to the freedom during the emancipation. How do you tell a whole population of people that they are now free . In fact some of those same man that Frederick Douglass fought for to ensure that they were able to fight for freedom on the battlefield were responsible for carrying things such as this, this very important handheld emancipation proclamation. They killed a handheld emancipation proclamation from plantation to plantation and told men, women, and children they were no longer enslaved. Host we are back live at the smithsonian National Museum of African American history and culture. Want to continue with specialist mary elliott. Thank you for the tour. Now a chance for more questions. Mary thank you. Host we want you to participate. Our phone lines are open. You can tweet us cspanhistory. Join us on facebook. We talked about the location of this museum. Let me ask you about the design. Not without some controversy, people drive by and say, what is it . Mary its a great question. The exterior of this building has a lot of meaning, just as much as the content. We were fortunate to have the firm of to a group of free architects to come together to produce this building. He shape of the building is inspired by a post that will have stood outside of a building on because for many of the slaves came from. We have the veranda posts inspired for this building. At the top is a corona design, three tiers. This building mimics the top of that veranda post. Equally important is the lattice shell that surrounds the building. That is based on an algorithm that was inspired by the iron works produced by blacksmiths in South Carolina and louisiana william i want to point in louisiana. I want to point out that the architects were inspired, and our director talks about that since of rising up. One of the things that is moving to me is that even while we sit here in the history gallery, the sense of rising up and the human spirit, while we know this history has a sense of human suffering, there is also that sense of the human spirit even below the level of the ground. Host an history that is in this neighborhood, this street, washington, dc. Mary right. We know that, and alexandria, virginia, there were several slave dealers offices, including the offices for Isaac Franklin and john armfield. Many of the enslaved, something powerful to think about, when they were being marched, they were being marched past the capital building. They were being marched down pennsylvania avenue. Where our satellite offices are located is the site of a slave auction site. Its very powerful to think that where we are, there was slavery and freedom in the midst of this nation coming into being, very much directly in front of each other. Host were going to get to your calls in just a moment. There are two exhibits a onestop about. First, you mentioned this during the tour, the slave cabin. What does it represent . Mary the slave cabin is a powerful story, and while i am very excited about this exhibition, i love the fact that we had to Start Talking about the Transatlantic Slave Trade. People think about slavery and just the antebellum. I think we unpacked antebellum a lot more, particularly in this nation. The slave cabin, while it is in the antebellum. Bank, i found it powerful and that it embodies this history in thinking about slavery and freedom, thinking about the juxtaposition of profit and power to the human cause. If you look at that cabin, not unlock not unlike when people put animals in a pen at night, it was similar. You are locking away people. In the midst of that inhumanity, African Americans held onto their humanity and still found ways to love each other even though there were chances of them being sold away. They found a way to practice their faith. They found ways to create new coldrolled practices. So the idea new cultural practices. So the idea of holding onto your humanity under the conditions they were in is very powerful. Like i said, there is that human cost and the profit and power. The people who held that land, who gained from the labor of these enslaved african men women men, women, and children. The other part about the cabin that is powerful is the importance of this exhibition in taking the part that cabin, everyday for a week, the community gathered to see this history being dismantled, taken to washington dc, and ultimately put back together to help tell the story. The community included the descendents of the enslaved and the slaveholders. While we know that many people wrestle with this history, here you have these descendents coming together. They built the community together. We can talk about the inhumanity, but there is also that human element, how people relate to each other, even through some of these harsh realities of our history. It was really powerful to see that unfold and to see people wrestle with this history. To see people at layers in context to this history. I think it a powerful object that helps people think about this experience and what it means. Host the second exhibit, we should point out for those at home, some of the exhibits are dark, including the slave ship. How did you find this, and what does it represent . Mary to give it was a slave ship that started to get a little context, it was a slave ship that started in lisbon and went to mozambique to pick up africans. They were on their way to brazil to sell these slaves, and they crashed off the coast of south africa. We connected with George Washington university, already working on this effort. It came together that it was our museum, George Washington museum, the university of cape town, and we pulled together to identify this ship, to make sure we will able we were able to raise some of the artifacts from the ocean floor to tell this story. I say tell the story and a new way, because one of the things that is important is, think about the notion, when have you heard people telling the story of that early period of slavery through Maritime Archaeology . We know there are slave shipwrecks all over. In addition to the Maritime Archaeology, the archival records indicate that they were 1400 ballast stones on the ship used to offset human weight. We have those on display, and a sense standing in for the men, women, and children on that ship. It shows us commerce and captivity. Host we came out with a new american president survey. We had a call this morning from South Carolina that struck me, talking about the business of slavery and the importance of slavery on the southern economy, which ultimately led to the civil war. As you walk through this exhibit, how do you tell that part of the story . Mary just like the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we think about the Transatlantic Slave Trade and slavery in general. You think of what was going on and how it undergirded the advancement of the atlantic economy. Once you get to the antebellum period and even before then, colonial america and slavery helped pave the way, leading towards the revolutionary war. Then you see that slavery undergirds the economy. Cotton and the sale of human bodies. Its a hard fact. We hate to think that it was inevitable, that it had to happen. From the beginning of this exhibition, we ask people to think about the moral issues. Im sure people may have seen in the tour, we have that statement, i am sickened by the purchase of slaves, but i must be mum, for how can we do without sugar or rum . You see the open space, the cacophony of activity going on, the 7093 creation of the cotton gin, the purchase of the louisiana territory, the 1808 and of involvement in the slave trade. But you also see how it rises that cotton becomes the driver of the trade. You see that slavery is embedded in all of these pieces of legislation because people are aware it is important to the economy. But also, you see the domestic slave trade, how important it is that they are shipping people down south to cultivate more and more of this cotton. It becomes this driver of the trade, but always remember, there is that just position that juxtaposition of human cost and power. People ask me, when you were working on this exhibition, how difficult was it for you to read some of the things and see some of the graphics . To tell you the truth, when i read some of the quotes, i thought, people really need to hear this. Host lets get to calls. David is first up from here in washington dc. How are you . Caller coming into this, i see pictures of emmett till display prominently. Do you plan on displaying the four girls killed in the birmingham bombing mary at this time, the exhibitions are set. They are set for at least 10 years. I dont know that they would revisit putting in the images of the little girls. I think their images are actually right at that space where the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing is located. But most of the exhibitions, all of the exhibitions are set for 10 years. Host we will go to rasheed joining us from new york. Caller i want to say, great job. Thank you. Looking at this on tv, there is a statue. How much of an impact did the haitian revolution play on slavery in america . Especially post purchase of the Louisiana Purchase from napoleon. Mary the haitian revolution was significant. You cant talk about that without talking about the African Diaspora and the connection between africans in america and elsewhere. We start, for example, our film on the revolutionary war with the fact that africans in north america had always been rebelling. The fight for freedom against the backdrop of a fight for liberty was nothing new for them. When you think about the African Diaspora, i want you to think about haiti in two ways. What was the influence on africans around the world . The maritime system allows for black men to travel along the maritime system and spread news. What does that mean . How does it inspire others . Then also, when you have the haitian revolution and the success of the haitian revolution, what did that mean and terms of its impact on leadership here in north america, and the burgeoning nation . And those concerned about what would it was going to mean to African Americans who might also pursue their own freedom in the same way. It had a deep impact in that manner. Host you said that everyone is in the story. How so . Mary we start this story with humanity. We do not start with slavery. When you look at the notion of humanity, while the story is a story that is an american story, is a shared history, and a human story. That human story is told, looking at this thread africanamerican lens. That lens looking onto it interracial world. When we tell many stories, we tell littleknown stories of folks like Joseph Trammell and his freedom papers. At the same time, many people would be shocked we have that wage book on display in our Transatlantic Slave Trade section. It is a book that contains the wages that were paid to crew members who served on the slave ships. What is really powerful about that is, while we know the horrors of what went on in the hull, people should also know about the Human Experience on deck. Crew members were beaten often, and it was a hard life. Obviously, being in the hull and being enslaved was a harsh reality, that we would be remiss if we not tell the whole of the Human Experience. One thing to think about, or two things to think about is, one, everyone benefited from this enterprise of slavery, from the crewmembers to the planter elite to the nationstates. The other thing to think about is, why would someone serve on a slave ship . Was it to gain passage to the new world . To feed their family . Or was it because they thought this was morally ok and want to make money . When you open that book, you find that many crewmembers committed suicide and many ran away. Host you can join in on facebook. Com cspan. All of our programming is Available Online at any time at www. Cspan. Org. Our next caller is charlie from caller thank you, miss elliott, for entertaining my phone call. My question is, why are we not having more open discussions about the democratic partys role in creating racism and segregation as a result to maintain the institution of slavery and to prevent africanamericans from matriculating into mainstream america . Creating racism to prevent africanamericans from mature chelating into mainstream america. Mary what i love about this museum and thats a great question is we look at this almost in a 360 way. Look at all the different factors that get us to where we are. We dont look at one particular whats happening with the democrats and republicans, what happens in the election of 1876. Im going to give you an example of different perspectives that all of this is steeped in issues of race. Lets think about this, it is race and class, you have the kansas the brassica act, i tell people there is a case along the wall, with several cases we of legislation from the declaration of independence all the way to the 15th amendment. What we learned in secondary school and we said ok, lets get to recess. Pair that with africanamerican firstperson voices, we took excerpts from speeches, sermons, articles all written by africanamericans. When you get the kansas the brassica act and you think of all the people fighting to end slavery, i say this in context your question because we include everyones voice. Included in those voices are the free soil or soilers. You think of poor whites and the yeoman white farmer. And free people of color and enslaved africans. The many different perspectives on why we needed to end slavery. The yeoman white farmer, why are you giving away all these large tracts of land and i need to have access to land as well. Tractsgiving away these of land that these elite can continue to pursue slavery and i need my piece of the pie. A poor white person would say why do i have to can heat with free labor. They are different opinions as to why people are fighting against slavery, the same thing when we look at racism in the nation, there are many different reasons, economic, social and they still have to be dealt with, but i would not narrowly down to just one Political Party to talk about that. A tough question to answer but on average, if a plantation owner was purchasing a slave, how much did they pay . It varies. We have our wall for the domestic slave trade, we the wall that we papered with excerpts from bills of sale. We wanted people to see again the just expect juxtaposition of profit and power and the humid costs human cost. A little boy was five dollars and we know thats the monetary value, but the value to his mother was a lot more. , you can see someone, if you of a man who is in good health and you may have proven to be very valuable in the field go for tens of thousands of dollars. Someone goes for 3500. It varies depending on what their skills were and their capabilities. Our next caller is from las vegas. Hello. First of all congratulations on your very powerful triumph of your museum. It is magnificent. You cant, i realize get into every aspect of what you are telling, but i wanted to know if you have anything that talks about the abolitionists because they were very powerful in helping to move for freedom of africanamericans along. Briefly when i was looking at your slave cabin, i couldnt help thinking about the cattle cars of the Holocaust Museum in washington and the similarities of the two museums are overpowering. Thinkwondering, do you that if sometime in the future there could be a collaboration between the museums for School Children of all ages that when they visit one they could visit the other to see that this as you said is a human story. Thank you for the call from las vegas. Those are both Great Questions and great suggestions. Let me talk about the first thing about abolitionists. You the beginning, when come to slavery and freedom, you see that africans were fighting for their freedom from the time they were torn away from the and broughtafrica along to that western coast. Then when you going to colonial north america, you see we really see the story of freedom through the stories of rebellion. I say that because agency is important, that africanamericans, africans in north america and south america had been fighting for freedom all along. Black agency is very important. As you come around and you enter the section on the coming of war, we talk but abolitionist efforts. Again, we would be remiss if we did not talk about the interracial collaboration to end slavery. It is a great question because you have people like john brown, you have people like william, but you have people like davis oil and davis was one of the free soilers and he was fighting against slavery. He had his own reason during that bleeding kansas era. We have the flood staying map in his flight against fight against slavery, he was killed by a mob. We talk about how many people paid for this cost and slavery. There could be various reasons why, but again people like john brown thought it was morally wrong and so they fought valiantly to end it. Lets go to bakersfield california. Good evening and thank you knowledgeassion and and the eloquence with which you describe the exhibits. Im from baltimore originally so i cannot wait to get home and visit. That you paidus to the fact that this is a human story, not only American History, this is world history. One of the pieces that always struck me when i was learning about the slave trade in school and one of the things that you often hear as a rebuttal for the fact that enslaved men enslavement can surely doesnt impression in the system is the role that native africans played in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. How does the Museum Explore this juxtaposition and the roles and the motivations for the role of native africans in that system . It is a great question and actually we made sure to address that directly in our section on the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we looked at the juxtaposition of Property Power to the human cost. Weve european currency that you see along the way that shows how government sanctioned the trade. You can see the coin with the elephant and castle and you see the government sanctioned the trading of enslaved africans. We have currency from the western coast of africa because it wanted people to understand that we recognize some questions coming our way and not that but these are important issues we wanted to address. Native about how africans were involved in the slave trade, but we talk about the reasons why. For example, those who tried hard to not be involved in the slave trade and others being involved. Fact early onin europeans and africans come together through trade and that trade including humans, but oftentimes that was because of warfare, people fending off their enemies. At the same time, people were involved with trade to pay off debt. At the same time there were people who were involved in trade simply because they wanted to make money. We wanted to make sure that we address various reasons why native African American native africans would be involved. We did an interview with the chief justice of the United States john roberts and he said the Founding Fathers got most everything right except on this issue and yet slavery was also prevalent in many other countries, so what made it unique in the u. S. Or different . Feature in the exhibition on slavery where we looked at sugar as the driver of the trade. I will give you one example. Sugar is the driver of the trade. We know sugar was produced in different parts of north america and louisiana. You think of in south america and in the caribbean, people look at how many people came to north america. 400,000, 3 million to brazil. Have a sugar we by fake surrounded sugar. We were fortunate to work with our colleagues who loaned us some beautiful ornate objects related to sugar, sugar bowls, sugar tongs and these two are juxtaposed, these are there. When you read the labels, it talks about of the economy and north america, you think of the crop system in north america, europe sugar and rice, your cotton and tobacco, you have wheat. There is this sense of having a longer life span depending on the crop system. In South Carolina there was a sevenyear lifespan there as last was cotton a very demanding crop. Perfected america way to retain their human property and that is a hard way of putting it, but it is true. You see by the time you get to the antebellum period how they are breeding enslaved people. Our next caller some columbia, South Carolina. Good evening. This is an outstanding show. A couple of years ago i can opportunity to see you in columbia, and exhibition from the Holocaust Museum. It was a traveling exhibition. Have anyering if you ideas of developing a traveling exhibition for people for not able to get to washington to see that exhibition. Or able to get a ticket which is another story we talk about. Thats a great question and we actually have, i have some really amazing colleagues and i , while im ahis Museum Specialists and i cocurated this, i would be her abyss if i did not mention the dr. Ocurator, dunst Nancy Bergdahl and a young scholar. In terms of the traveling exhibition, our director has charged us with making sure that we start planning some opportunities to do traveling exhibitions as well as opportunities to partner with institutions across the nation and around the world to do exhibitions together. When we open during the grand opening, we had an exhibition force that we sent out over the world so that people can see some of the dynamic objects we have and that was really through panels that they could see some of the objects and stories we are telling. We were fortunate to have that at the point of grand opening, but we also made sure there were across the nation to make sure we could see what we had at the exhibition. If you go online we have some wonderful stores associated with these objects. You can see them and hear the just the history, but how we acquired the objects. Its really powerful to hear from the perspective of the curator. We want to thank you and your entire staff for opening the doors of the tour. Thank you very much. Twitter atlow us on cspan history and we have a tweet from a viewer who wants to know how people can donate family heirlooms to the museum . I would give you my home phone number [laughter] right. T wouldnt be we love to hear from people all the time and we have a way you can go online on our website where you can fill out donor information to let us know what you have and then we review the documents and put you in touch with the appropriate staff member to follow up because we have many curators that focus on different subjects. In the tour you talk about nat turner. We are fortunate to feature would we believe is his bible that he held at the time he was captured. Nat turner is a wellknown intleman who led the revolt south hampton, virginia. He had about 70 africanamericans free and enslaved who fought their way to freedom. The revolt ended, they were caught. Nat turner got away and stayed in the swamp area. He ultimately was captured and put to death, but it really does say a lot about what people risk for this freedom. There is a statement down in the , it was said if i but when minute of freedom, i would take it. Nat turner and the rebellion in 1831 says a lot about people who said they would rather have death and the enslaved. They risk their lives not only for their own freedom, but to make a point about freedom being everything. By any means necessary. Kenneth, good evening from california. Hello. Please go ahead. I see many people and they talk about everyones history but black history. Who ion is who own the textile mills and who most profited to slavery . Thank you. We will get a response. There were jewish slaveholders, we know that. We know there are many people whoowned banks in the u. S. Were invested in slavery, but this story involves everybody. There is no one group that we call out. Everyone was invested in this and everyone benefited from it, except for those who were enslaved. Say i would personally narrow this down to just talking about jewish people who were involved in slavery. Because it was a crosssection. You are right, there were jewish people who owned enslaved africanamericans. At its peak, how many slaves were in america . By the time of emancipation came, i believe it was 4 million. I understand that the time, the people exceeded the value of land at the time. On average will was the lifespan of a slave . , i believe it was , summit was into their 20s and summit was a bit later, but not really beyond 50. Virginia, thank you for joining us. Hello ms. Elliott, its a pleasure to talk to you. Im very interested in the subject. Wonder if you reached out to the american groups, particularly cherokee and creek, very few people know several wars were fought over a black woman. Soldiers on the trail of tears from florida to , currently there is a reparations lawsuit against the five tribes that held sway before the civil war. Wondering if youve reached out to the native Indian Tribes and what to do in the future . Thank you for the question. Under thetunate to be umbrella of the smithsonian which includes the National Museum of the American Indian and we are very proud to be working with our colleagues at the museum. Done programs with them, public programs, there was a program before this museum all in open hosted by the museum of the American Indian and that was indivisible where we looked , thee relationships various relationships between africanamericans and the native american community. We have an ongoing relationship with the American Indian museum. There was recently a public some of theing at stereotypes. We are currently discussing future activity to explore the relationship between the American Indians and africanamericans. In the near future around the fall. There is a lot of public programming. It is plain silly can unpack this a little bit more and bring in a few more scholars who can help share a little bit more this nuance and details between the two groups. When we look at that, its not looking at where these groups separate, but also where they come together it its very important to look at both. One more call from denver, suzette. You are on the air. Lets go to xavier from miami to get the last question. Thank you. How are you doing. Im fine, thank you. I will be 45, but when i was growing up, my mom had africanamerican cycle he is. From reading those when i was a kid and also going to on an entry school named after a black man. School theyng to had all these pictures of black , different people and a little biography on them. You would walk. Start memorizing who these people are. My mom didnt have those encyclopedias or i was at that school, and were a lot of things i wouldnt know. It seems like black people dont take that is serious as they did 30 or 40 years ago. I was wondering how do we get back to that to where we care about where we come from and our culture. That is a great question. I will tell you that when i grew up, im older than you, when i 8. 5 up, my dad had several by 11 cards from ebony magazine and he plastered our walls during negro history week, we had to go around the house and memorize these icons of africanAmerican History and American History. Could get back to having those cards, but thank god we have this museum. We see many young people coming to this museum, like the caller before you asked how do we get this information out in the world, how do we get it to the communities and to have to tip my hat to many of the smaller museums that are local history museums that are local african hit africanAmerican History museums. The other thing i would say is we have a department that is robust in education here. Educators from across the nation help share stories in the classroom and we are looking forward to Curriculum Development and Early Childhood education. It is incumbent upon the older generation to take children by the hand and share their story. Some of the stories from this museum, many actually, we can attribute the success of stewards, from family genealogies extremely genealogy is extremely important important. Telling your family story gets young people interested. This is an impossible question with a half minute left, if there is one place in the museum, one exhibit that is an absolute must see, what is it from your standpoint . I will make this quick. I say slavery and freedom is the mustsee exhibit but i think the history gallery, you have to see everything. What youre seeing now, you go down and see the domestic slave trade story which includes one of the most successful slave dealers during that time. He turns that to power and he turns eight plantations, including angola and those plantations is the site of angola prison. By the time you get to the segregation gallery, you see the angola prison guard tower, that legacy ofr held a slavery and helps us understand laborslavery came this system and even today, we are dealing with the prison industrial complex, theres no way to look at this and not see that its all connected. Thank you so much for the tour and your time for taking calls. We appreciate your hospitality. We are going to move from the civil war to the postcivil war era into the Civil Rights Movement with william prints are , who is a curator at the museum to provide a tour coming up for the next half hour. He will be here to take your calls and questions. At the end of the civil war, africanamericans who were released from their bondage immediately sought about withing their own lives their own resources. One of the first things many try to do was to reconnect with family members who had been separated during the era of slavery. They traveled the country looking for the relatives. They placed ads in newspapers, primarily church related newspapers seeking to find their kinfolk. They wrote letters to the freemans bureau and wanted to reconnect and build communities amongst themselves. One of the major elements of that process was creating allblack towns, a number of africanamericans reconnected with their families and created towns where they built not only their own homes, like this building out of pools bill, maryland, but also schools and churches in those communities. Building wasar built by john hall in 1874. It compares contrasts with the slave cabin you seen earlier by being a twostory building. It was a measure of his and his families ambitions and optimism for the future. Madeactually had just plans so they were freehold farmers, not tenant farmers or sharecroppers and with others in their community, they built one of the first, one of nine allblack towns in Montgomery County in the late 1870s and 1880s. It was a mark of their independence. It mirrored towns across the country. This building was still in use as a family home although highly renovated well into the 20th century. The family that still own the home once it was being abandoned decided to donate to this museum after researchers had found this. Our researchers examined the building, we had to take off the siding and the interior whiteboard to see what it looked like underneath. We contracted with a building conservator, dismantled the building law by law, restored the parts we could, replaced a few parts and rebuilt it in the museum. Actually hundreds of cabins that were inhabited by enslaved individuals that have been reused decade after decade. Tour, this earlier in the it was occupied until the 1980s, both have been reconstructed, updated with vinyl siding, but the current inhabitants dont even realize that underneath the shell of the building is the structure of a former slave cabin. To see the rest of the response to this kind of independence with the segregated society and the response to that with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. At the very end of the civil war , africanamericans had civil rights in the form of confederacy in the former confederacy. Voting rights were introduced in legislatures in which over in 1877, the political compromise removed northern troops from the former confederacy, that allowed White Society to begin a campaign of removing the civil rights that africanamericans had received at the very end of the civil war and recreating slavery by another name. A segregated society, what we have called jim crow. The initial elements had changed in the state laws which limited the rights of africanamericans, limited their right to move and vote, limited their rights to serve on juries. Limited their economic rights. Ofwasnt just the imposition new laws, it was the support of those laws by a reign of terror. The symbol of that terror has come to be the ku klux klan. The clan was not the only element of terror. It was a broadly societal error a bit of mice by the clan. Founded in 1865, the clan was established to force new kinds of law, and a new type of white supremacy. AfricanAmerican Society was attacked on all levels. Not simply physical violence, but psychologically and intellectually and the denial of all their rights. Africanamericans responded to all that in a way that created their own society and allow them to express their own vision for the future. Symbolte hood became a of the ku klux klan. And was widely seen as protecting the identity of individuals, although in most communities, everyone knew who was underneath the hood. It was not just the terror of the klan and the lynching. More than 4000 individuals were illegally murdered with no consequences on the perpetrators on the 1880s into the 1940s. It was a constant process of terror, of intimidation. The other part however was not so physical. It have to do with intellectual and psychological intimidation. The publication of a book, the negro, a beast, in 1900, which perpetrates the idea that africanamericans were put on earth to serve white people. They are not their own being. They are not their own human, their own human beings, their own self, they are here as servants for society. That kind of intellectual structure and the psychological makeup that that had on White Society as well as the detrimental effect on africanamericans, which had to resist that constant barrage of negative image about them created a sense of terror that was constant and unremitting, and yet africanamericans responded in a number of very creative ways. It wasnt simply physical terror, but it involved things like the constant denigration of africanamericans so that stereotypes were constant reminders to white people that africanamericans were inferior. Constant reminders to africanamericans that White Society did not value them as individuals and as productive members of society. The response of the Africanamerican Community, however, was not simply defensive. It was expressions of their own vision for the future. So, they built educational institutions. They built community and civic organizations. They focused on their churches. They created entrepreneurial enterprises. They valued the black press, the free press, that communicated information. They built a society within the Larger Society that both responded and protected them from that Larger Society, but also expressed their own values and their own sense of what the future could be for themselves and for their children. A very typical american approach to life. William pretzer in the early 20th century, there was a massive migration from americans of the rural south to great cities. The great migration changed the character and allowed more opportunity for africanamericans to engage in modern society in those northern cities. It also changed the character of their sense of themselves and their opportunities. In the great 1920s, after world war i where africanamericans had served in great numbers, particularly in france, in the military, there comes an fos, there comes an engagement with cultural expression which is called the new negro renaissance. This is by jacob lawrence, and artistic rendition looking back on the experience of movement of massive numbers, millions of africanamericans to northern cities between 1910 and 1940. By the mid20th century, Jim Crow Society was wellestablished north and south in the United States and in the west for that matter. The tradition however of response to that Jim Crow Society, efforts to expand civil rights for African Americans, had continued since the late 19th century well through the early parts of the 20th century. By the 1950s and 1960s, that is just after world war ii where africanamericans again served in the military and came home to a segregated society that did not accept them entirely, the notion of a concerted biracial Civil Rights Movement grew and took on more added energy and strength. On the other side of this whites only door, we have instances of violence against africanamericans who are active in the Civil Rights Movement before there was a Civil Rights Movement. In the 1940s and 1950s, activists constantly try to put pressure on White Society to allow greater civil activity for africanamericans. Economic rights, legal rights, and particularly Voting Rights. One of the major proponents in florida for instance was harry t. Moore and his wife harriett. They were active in the Civil Rights Movement. Both of them are educators, and they had registered many africanamericans in florida to be able to vote. On Christmas Day 1981, a bomb exploded under their bedroom of their home in broward county, florida. Harry was killed outright, harriett died a few days later. They were only two of several murders to the Civil Rights Movement before the board v. Brown, board of education case, and before the montgomery boycott instigated by rosa parks. There has been a constant number of individuals who were fighting for civil rights before those particular events drew national attention, who were killed by the terrorists involved in trying to preserve white supremacy. Harry moore, his wallet, his pocket watch and then his wife harriett wore the small ladies wristwatch. The small locket which harriett wore contained pictures of herself and harry. These are the personal elements that survived the bombing of their home in 1951. Another example of precivil rights era activism come from johns island, South Carolina, just outside of charleston. The jenkins created a society, a group called the progressive society, which operated a cooperative store, a small motel, a gas station. They also bought a volkswagen van in the late 1950s and began ferrying individuals from johns island into their jobs in charleston. It wasnt simply a transportation service. During the ride from the island into town and back at night, jamie would teach the individuals literacy skills, teaching them how to read and write, and particularly she would use the constitution of the state of South Carolina to teach them about Voting Rights so they would have the opportunity to take the test and apply for voter registration, so they combined a service along with an opportunity for africanamericans to gain their rights. In the midst of a segregated society, transportation was one of the great challenges for both africanamericans and whites. How to create separation for whites but allow transportation for the black community . This railway car built in 1923 was only in 1940 renovated to create separate sections. That is, the system became more restrictive as time went on and as more africanamericans joined the traveling ranks for Long Distance travel. This car was made for the Southern Railway to travel and newwashington, d. C. Orleans. Increase accommodation for an increasingly segregated society. Lets go inside and take a look. As a white passenger, i would look at this portion of the car and say, these are nice, large seats, i am quite comfortable here. I have got lots of room. I can look out the windows, i can enjoy a smokefree atmosphere. When i get back here, i see i have got room to store my large luggage. I dont have to keep it right on my lap, and i have a restroom with a lounge that allows for smoking out of the main car. A fairly large restroom that is quite accommodating for passengers. If i were an africanamerican passenger, i would walk into this section and take a look and say, all right, these seats are fine, but there is no place to store my luggage other than a small, overhead rack, so but if i have a luggage, i have to keep it right at my feet. I look around, and i see there is no other accommodations except a very small toilet area, restroom, with no lounge. It is a much different experience for longdistance travel for africanamericans. It is clearly an inferior experience. [shouting] William Pretzer when the Supreme Court of the United States announced that separate but equal was inherently unequal in American Education in the brown v. Board case, it opened the door for opportunity for other africanamericans to argue about that same kind of inferiority in separate but equal situations. In 1955, rosa parks, with a long career in activism, decided that she couldnt take it anymore, and that she really needed to find out what her rights as an africanamerican were. So, she refused to give up her seat on a city bus in the in montgomery, alabama. Parks, who worked as a seamstress, was sewing the here at home during the time in which she refused to give up her seat. This was her project at home. Similarly, another woman, early on in the Civil Rights Movement, was quite different, not a 40yearold married woman with a job, but a 14yearold High School Student by the name of carlotta walls in little rock, arkansas who simply wanted the best education she could get because she had an ambition of becoming a doctor. So, when the opportunity to attend the Best High School in little rock, central high school, carlotta signed up, and became what would be later known as the little rock nine, the first night africanamerican the first nine africanamerican students to integrate Little Rock Central High School in 1957. That is the dress that carlotta wore the first day of school 1957 when she was in fact denied access to the school. It was the dress that exhibit that exemplified her desire as a 14yearold to get the best education and to put herself for it in a situation where she could be respected as a human being and achieve her ambitions. A very typical american story. Quite a different story is joan trumpour, a 19yearold student at Duke University in 1960. Joan was a devout christian and believed the Civil Rights Movement expressed christian values, and therefore joined sitins in durham, north carolina. Became a part of the student correlating committee and spent nine years in the movement, was one of the freedom riders arrested, served time in parchment prison in mississippi, and carried with her the notion of an interracial, multiracial cooperation that would lead to civil rights for all americans. This is joans vest in which she collected buttons from the various causes she believed in. It created a reminder of her activities in the early 1960s. Of course, Martin Luther king was the inspirational leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and has become the symbol of that movement for Many Americans. Although as we seen, he was certainly not the only individual who was primary to that movement and those activities. In 2014, king posthumously and his widow, Coretta Scott king, were awarded the congressional medal of honor, the highest civilian award for americans. King had evolved during the Civil Rights Movement. He had moved from specifically interested in civil rights for African Americans, particularly Voting Rights at the end of segregation, to a broader critique of American Society that included a critique of the vietnam war and of american poverty that affected all races. He therefore began a larger approach to change in america. At this point, we move into the next exhibition, changing america, 1968 and beyond. William pretzer having left the exhibition on the era of segregation, we are moving out to the new exhibition, the final exhibition in the threepart history galleries in changing america, 1968 and beyond. You can sense a different in the a difference in the tone and tenor of the africanamerican liberation movement. The late 1960s was an era of black power. It was also an era of the transition of philosophies of Martin Luther king, particularly his development of the poor peoples campaign, a multiracial campaign for Economic Justice and the end of poverty that king had initiated just before his assassination in 1968. The mural behind me is one of the representations of that campaign which was embodied in resurrection city, a tent city here in washington, d. C. In may and june of 1968. Kings vision was for a multiracial campaign that would bring americans, native americans, African Americans, latino americans, puerto rican americans, poor white individuals from all parts of the country to washington, d. C. To Lobby Congress and the presidency for economic change, not merely civil rights for one group, but for changes in the fundamental Economic System that would alleviate poverty in america. This mural, which was one of many painted on the plywood made up part of the tent city that housed 3500 individuals on the wall in washington, d. C. , represents that kind of multiracial character of the campaign. It contains a number of representations from chicanos. It was clearly made by individuals both africanamerican and chicano, interested in the movement who brought their concerns and their culture to washington, d. C. For this moment. We are assuming it was produced in part by students from california, the university of the pacific, and the university of california, los angeles. It is also evident this could have been representing a number of individuals from various parts of the country, including the use of numeric language which expresses the hope that poverty can be ended in the United States. With kings death, his associate Ralph Abernathy and his widow, Coretta Scott king, continued. The tent city had permits to set up on the national mall. The weather was terrible. For six weeks, they tried in vain to lobby the federal government for fundamental change. At the end of those six weeks, the federal government removed, bulldozed the city and evicted the residents, and eventually ended the campaign. Members of the campaign who work who were washington residents managed to find out where the bulldozed material had been taken, to a local military base, and went by that base late at night and resurrected, salvaged some of the material including this plywood mural. Other materials, documents and parts of the tents were also preserved by activists who literally kept them until he until they donated them to this museum. Many people think the black Power Campaign was a negation of the Civil Rights Movement, in opposition to civil rights. In fact, the nonviolent philosophy of Martin Luther king and the black Power Movement are not at odds, even though one of the symbols of the black Power Movement is this image of newton, one of the founders of the black Panther Party in oakland, california in 1966 holding a spear and shotgun. He is the prime example of this sense of militant opposition to American Society that the panthers, supposedly, allegedly, representing, but in fact much of their campaign was about selfdefense for African Americans. The same kind of self defense which had been seen earlier with the beacons of defense and the military and other areas of africanamerican Life Opposing violence against their society. Part of the black panther campaign, a major part, in fact, was social reform, educational reform, health care, housing. The freedom to get an education that was useful for them. Opposition to the legal system that was imprisoning thousands of African Americans with no good reason. An element that we want to focus on and make known more widely to the American Public is the whole notion of survival programs, that the party was developing a series of activity and pioneered the idea of legal aid, health clinics, of Educational Programs, of free breakfast programs for School Children. The social reform the panthers advocated and symbolized was as important, probably more important, than the militaristic side and the militant activities that were highlighted in the press at the time. Another element of kings evolution was his development and opposition to the vietnam war, an issue that rent American Society in the 1860s and 1970s. King in 1967 said his greatest disappointment was the ability disability tos deal with the triple evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism. Africanamericans served in vietnam, some willingly, some reluctantly, but they took pride in their service and did their utmost to serve their country, a tradition which had continued on from earlier wars in American History and since the vietnam era. The vietnam tour jacket was a common memento acquired by soldiers on r and r, often in okinawa, where they would have them embroidered with symbols of their service. In this particular instance, and instance, an africanamerican soldier not only had a tour jacket made to commemorate his service in vietnam, but he had it adorned with symbols of black power representing his dual commitment both to the black Power Movement and to his own service in the vietnam war. Also in this area of the changing america exhibition on is elementswer era, of the broad concerns. Basically, a renovation of the new Negro Movement or the harlem renaissance of the 20th century, concerned with literature, culture, representation. Particularly, the development of black women writers, black feminists, critique of society, the development and growth of Charlie Chisholm is the first black woman to run for a major Party Nomination for the presidency. A Political Force on all of those levels through politics, Popular Culture representation in mass media. The black Power Movement renovated and created yet another new africanamerican way of expressing themselves and of taking power, of being represented and being in control of their own circumstances. That created opportunities for subsequent generations. Host and we continue live at the National Museum of African American history and culture. We continue with bill pretzer, the senior curator. Thank you for the tour. William pretzer it is great to have you. Host you walk us through the 20th century, the Civil Rights Movement, the vietnam war. Where aretablish we in the museum right now . William pretzer we are in the orientation gallery to the three exhibits. From this space, visitors would go down the large elevator to the bottom level and begin the exhibition on slavery and freedom that mary elliott just took you all through, then move you on to the era of segregation exhibition and finally changing america, 1968 and beyond. That would conclude the three history galleries here in the museum. Host then you move upstairs to the cultural museum. William pretzer level three, the community galleries, exhibitions on sports, military history, making the way out of no way, about selfhelp, and the power of place which is a set of regional studies on africanAmerican Life. Then to level four, exhibitions on music, visual art, theater, film, and television, and Cultural Expressions. Host there are couple of questions i have from the tour. We want to remind our audience, that you can give us a call. Our phone lines are open. 2027988200. For eastern or central time zones. 2027988201. For mountain or pacific time zones. Be sure to follow us on twitter at cspan history and also check out programming on the Facebook Page at facebook. Com cspanhistory. The number one question, how do people get a ticket, and why is it so hard . William pretzer it is hard, because we are so popular. It sounds impolite to say that, but the simple case is that we have been overwhelmed by the response of the public for this museum. Host you did not expect these crowds . William pretzer we expected crowds. We did not expect the level and the sustained amount of interest in the museum. Since we are limited by the fire marshal on the number of people we can take into the museum at any one time, we have to spread out that process and help people get the tickets in advance. The way to get tickets either as an individual and by a group is to check out the museums website, mmaasc. Com. The front page has how to visit, how to sign up for tickets, call for tickets for groups, nonprofit groups, School Groups, church groups, many organizations. They come after an amount of time that we ask people to wait a couple of months because the response has been so overwhelming. Host if i log on today, it is late may or early june right now. William pretzer that is the case. Host a lot of questions about africanamerican justices to the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall and clarence thomas. How are they represented in this museum . William pretzer we created exhibitions based on themes that were determined by exhibition teams. As it turns out, Thurgood Marshall is represented by his fraternity dues card and simply by a quote based on the brown v. Desegregation case of 1954. There is really nothing about him as a Supreme Court justice. Justice Terrence Thomas is represented in a small display around the confirmation hearings, and the charge by anita hill that led to a great deal of controversy, but then ultimately his confirmation and seating on the court. Host some may argue they played a bigger role in American History, especially Thurgood Marshall. William pretzer we know there are thousands of stories we could have told in much later detail. Much greater detail. We simply cant include all of those stories all at the same time. We have done our very best to find the kinds of stories that we think resonate with people, both the known and unknown stories. So, this is a Living Museum, just like our understanding of history changes, we reinterpret. We find new information. This is a conversation about what we will include in the museum in the future rather than looking at what we have already done in the past. Host a Living Museum despite its size and limited space. What is not included that you would like to see included down the road . William pretzer my own interest is in the history of science and technology. That is an interest that many, many people have had, and they have made it very clear they are disappointed we have not done more with africanamericans involvement with science and technology. So, we are looking for ways in the future to first of all built the collection, basic resource of any collection are the artifacts, the documents, the photographs, that deal with a particular subject matter, then to figure out how we would employ those artifacts. Either in programs, through our website, or in the physical exhibition within the building itself. Host what does the term jim crow mean . William pretzer jim crow is the legal and cultural creation of a segregated society that oppresses africanamericans in the United States between the 1870s and the 1960s. Host lets get your phone calls. 2027988200 in the eastern half of the country. 2027488901 for those of you out west. We have someone joining us from new jersey. Caller hello . Host you are on the air. Go ahead. Caller i want to know, since hiphop is original art of america, is included in the museum too, because that is the last original art americans produced, hiphop, and it all wayt has audiences all the across the world now. Host thank you for the question. William pretzer that is a great question. I am happy to say that hiphop and rap appear in actually several different exhibitions. Musical crossroads contains a number of examples of hiphop. The exhibition in changing america, 1968 and beyond, also has a large public enemy banner. Remember, it was public enemy who spoke about, in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000, hiphop, the cnn, the source of information. We also have about musical expressions in our Cultural Expressions gallery. Hiphop is well represented within the museum. Host from postworld war ii to the present, was it easy or difficult to get artifacts . William pretzer it was probably actually more difficult in a way than other curators have had finding exhibition material for their particular subject matter. Recent history is not seen as historically important. A lot of people have things in their attics or basements. If they were 100 years old, they figured it might be something of importance. If they are only from the 1990s, then who is interested something of importance. If they are only from the 1990s, then who is interested in that . We had to go out and encourage people to talk about what they might have, what we were interested in in terms of cultural or social history, political history, and then to convince them to allow us to see what they had, and what possibilities we saw to make them accessible to the public. Host and you started at the Henry Ford Museum for two decades before coming back to the smithsonian . Guest yes, before coming back into thousand nine to work on this project specifically. Host lets go to new mexico. Caller hi, i have a question about the social Reform Program of the black answers and why it black panthers and why it has been relatively neglected, historically speaking. I was wondering if you could speak to that . Host jamie, thank you. Guest i think there was an impression created by the media, and white frankly by the u. S. Government in the 1960s and 1970s that the black Panther Party was essentially a black terrorist group, a racist organization. So its a vibrant program, it Community Building programs, its creation of free breakfast, literacy programs, aid programs, housing programs, all were played down by the media because it was more exciting to see issues of conflict. The black panthers have gotten a bum rap, and what we have tried to do in this exhibition is due is to display material from their survival programs to offset that overwhelming media impression that was created. Host who was emmett till . Guest he was a 14yearold chicago boy who went to go visit his cousins in mississippi in 1955. He went into a store, had an exchange with a white, female clerk. Later, the clerks husband and half brothers took him to a riverside, murdered him, tortured him, and they threw him into the river. His mother retrieve the body and insisted he be buried in chicago with a public funeral. She insisted it be open casket, so the American Public could see what racism had done to her son. Dozens of individuals who became the foot soldiers of this Civil Rights Movement in the early 70s, who are teenagers or adolescence in 1955. For whom the emmett till murder was frightening and maddening. They knew they did not want to grow up in a world that allowed that to happen. They were willing to put themselves on the line, and to become active in the Civil Rights Movement a few years later. Host his casket is on display here . Guest yes. He was originally buried in illinois south of chicago. In 2005, and the fbi trying to reexamine a number of cold cases against africanamericans during the Civil Rights Movement, exhumed his body, conducted tests, and he was reburied, by law, in a different casket. The original casket murdered by his mother in 1955 was stored by the cemetery. His family retrieved the casket in 2009. They knew the director of this been theecause he had director of the Chicago History Museum for a number of years. They agreed to donate the casket with the understanding that we would preserve it, restore it, and put it on display in a respectful way to continue what his mother would have wanted which was for his death to not be in vain. Prosecuted the main were the men prosecuted . Guest they were acquitted. They omitted that they had acquitted the murder, but double they had committed the murder, but double jeopardy remained and they were not retried. Host could you talk about president obamas museum tour and his reaction . Guest his family took two, separate private tours, and i think their responses were typical of most people responses peoples responses. This is an amazing collection of artifacts and stories told in a direct and yet very respectful way, that one can laugh, cry, feel in awery, about the things and history that this country and africanamericans have participated in over the past 500 years. Host we should point out that the museum includes the Oprah Winfrey theater. We will continue the tour and come back in about five minutes with your calls and comments. Guest black power and the Civil Rights Movement both offered opportunities for africanamericans in all realms of American Life. Politics, Popular Culture, literature, economic and burner and entrepreneurism. Oprah winfrey has become a cultural icon. In started her talk show 1986. Oprah winfrey developed an empire that would he on the business and talked about creative self empowerment, creative opportunities, educational opportunities, and used wealth and influence to promote the kind of ideas that the civil right Movement Leaders and black power leaders have advocated. Her career exemplified that kind of opportunity and making the most of it both individually and collectively. Ms. Winfrey was kind enough to be a supporter of this museum, and she donated these artifacts from the last show, aired in 2011, of her daytime talk show. [inaudible] guest in 2008, barack obama created a Multiracial Coalition that brought him to the presidency. A coalition that mirrored the type of Multiracial Coalition that Martin Luther king envisioned in 1968 for the poor peoples campaign. Barack obamas residency did not a postracial society, as we have come to understand. Still, it represented a marked departure from previous american political life and created a new man and blacklack family for Many Americans. Whatever his legacy in terms of all of these in the administration, his legacy and impact on American Life will be seen as a positive impact in the future. Historians reconsider the impact of his presidency. We are lucky enough to have a president in barack obama who understood the impact of history and the importance of understanding history. We haveartifacts received from the white house includes the dress that michelle obama, the first lady, at the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on washington, and the remarks of the president he made at that location. Acknowledging the history and if and where he makes sure every generation knows they have a responsibility to increase the right and opportunities that all americans enjoy. It is that kind of opportunity and those challenges that has represented not only by his administration, and his understanding of history, but by the black lives Matter Movement and others who seek ways of creating a more equal and just American Society. The goal of the american experiment, that we continue to have. I think the history galleries really demonstrate the power of social change through activism, that nothing happens by chance. I think they also demonstrate how the values represented in these exhibitions are quintessentially american values. They are about opportunity, they are optimistic, they are resilient. They are about enlarging the experience of all americans, africanamericans and others. They are optimistic of american expression of overcoming the odds and of succeeding. We think that is a very positive sign, and we hope that is the message, that positive change comes about and is absolutely possible as long as one is involved in the values and processes of american democracy. Host lets continue with the tour that we just saw on tape. You really do put the story and in history here. Guest we think the best way to teach history is by telling stories and making the stories personal and dramatic. Playing out the real Human Experience. Many visitors have told us that visiting this museum is an emotional experience. As intellectual or as content rich as the stories are, we recognize that very often, it is the emotion that keeps it in our memory. It helps us understand that content, and we are intent on telling stories well. Host this is the African American museum of history and culture. Lets talk about a cultural icon, chuck berry and his car. What is the story behind that . Guest of course, we would start a music exhibit with chuck berry and his red cadillac convertible. Our staff, particularly the curator of music and performance specialist were both contacting numerous performers and talking about how to preserve their individual legacies. Begin with theld performers manager and staff, rather than the performer himself or herself. Kevin had made arrangements with the staff of chuck berry to visit him in his home and discuss acquiring the red cadillac. Kevin showed up, chuck berry was not exactly convinced to donate the cadillac yet. So they talked, they talked for quite a while. They had some ice cream bars together. Finally, chuck decided that kevin and this museum was ok. They went to get the cadillac convertible. They had a wrecker come to hoist up the car. The wench broke. They had to push the car onto the truck. They had to get it out of the mud and get it on the road to washington. Then, they talked about his famous guitar, maybelline. Chuck agreed that kevin could have maybelline for the museum, and, at that point have been kevin realize he had a plane ticket to come home, and he said i have a seat on the plane but maybelline doesnt. Can i buy a second ticket so maybelline can have a seat on the plane coming home to washington . I said, yes, absolutely, we can spring for that. So the cadillac and maybelline got to come to this museum. Host next color. Caller do you believe that the host next caller. Believe that the creation for a museum for africanAmerican History and culture will integrate or advance the cohesion of africanamerican participation in others museums . Guest we the it will we think it will enhance that cohesion and various organizations. We are very intent on promoting that idea. We are already partnering with the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of American Indians, who with the Smithsonian Latino center. We are encouraging all organizations to find ways in which we are able to talk about a variety of stories, from a variety of perspectives, not just one. We really do think that this institution will promote the interplay and discussion between those various perspectives, so we can develop, quite frankly, a new, National Narrative that is more inclusive and more attentive to the varieties of people that have made this nation. Host tucson, arizona, john is next. Caller a comment and a quick followup question. In the galleries that you just described to us, you only to you allude to many themes that can be embodied in the u. S. Military experience from postcivil war. Can you tell us what the plans are to interpret the evolving role of the africanamericans in the u. S. Armed forces . Guest there is an entire exhibition entitled, double v military experience of African Americans. It ranges from the revolutionary war to wars of the 20th entry 21st century. We have several hundreds of artifacts. We tell the stories of africanamerican participation in american wars, even before there was an america. A two element to the exhibition is a hallway where we display plaques for all 53 africanamericans who have been awarded the president ial medal of honor for their valiant tree valiantry. There is a picture window that frames the washington monument, and it is quite a sight. Just beyond that is the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National cemetery where so many africanamericans and all Many American soldiers have been interred. We think that display is an important part of the museum and the museums presentation. Host and that includes the tuskegee airmen. A handful are still alive. Have they come and seen any of the exhibits . Guest we are trying to get them out here. N actual plane used by the airmen as they were trained to fly for the United States air force. We have had a long tradition of working with them. Many of them were able to take flights in that plane as we brought it across the country when we first brought it into the museum in 2012. Host you are excited about all of this. Guest i am exceedingly excited. I did that excitement from my own passion for this work but also for my colleagues. This is a terrific group of people that embarked on a mission, and that was it. It was not a job or any of us. Host and i hope that is being conveyed to those watching at home. You are so gracious to let us come in on a sunday evening and enjoy this easier. Lets go to new york with eunices question. Caller when i was at the black museum in washington, d. C. , i did not find the civil rights bill signed in 1965 by dr. King and Whitney Young. Why is Whitney Young if he is in the black museum, because he had a lot to do with the civil rights bill. To understand that bill, black people must understand it so other people will understand the Immigration Law bill. Both are similar. Guest absolutely. The Civil Rights Movement and the various actors, Whitney Young, Martin Luther king jr. , john lewis, stokely carmichael, all of those individuals and the foot soldiers in that movement are all represented in the era of segregation gallery that we walked through. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 are all represented as either documents in those displays or in the videos that talk about the legislation that really made the difference and broke the back of legal jim crow segregation. Host be sure to follow us on twitter at cspanhistory. You can also follow us on facebook. Com cspanhistory. A question on our Facebook Page, the oldest photograph in the museum. You know what that is . Guest we have a pin type from the era of the civil war. There is one of Frederick Douglass, for instance. That would have been made in the mid1860s. Photography is a brandnew form of technology at the time, and one of the pin types from the 1860s is probably the oldest image in the collection on display. Host about 50 feet behind us is the waterfall and the words of Martin Luther king. What does it represent . Guest we built a commemorative space with a large, round waterfall and a series of votes quotes on the wall because we felt that individuals visiting the museum may need a space in which to gather themselves, in which to think back, memorialize their own family experiences. To acknowledge the pain and the hope that the africanamerican experience in the United States represents. In a manner of speaking, it was modeled after the hall of remembrance at the Holocaust Museum. Many people equate the various museums of conscience around the world, the Holocaust Museum, this museum, the museums of the jewish experience in germany, and so there is a moment where we wanted to provide people with the opportunity to quietly remember. Host lets go to clarence in california. What is your question . Caller i want to know if you have those women who were in Hidden Figures . Are they displayed there, and if not, why not . Will they be exhibited in the future . What is the story behind them . Guest thank you, clarence. A new movie getting a lot of attention. Guest a new movie, but an old story. In the 1930s and 1940s, a number of africanamerican women were hired by the precursor of nasa to do calculations that led up to americans in space. Three particular women have been profiled in a very important book, titled Hidden Figures, and a recent Motion Picture. One of the debuts at that motion of that Motion Picture was held right here, and the actors as well as some of the family members of those three women were present at that debut showing a screening of that movie right here in washington, d. C. At the museum. We are currently in conversation with the families of two of those women to see what kind of artifacts we could bring into the collection, so that we can include their story in the museum. I think i mentioned we dont do very much with science and technology. We were not able to put that in the first generation of exhibit. Looking to do that in the future, and those three women and other women and men who have contributed to the american and American Space program and science and technology will be highlighted in that. Host let me ask you about the black Power Movement and black lives matter order in the past 60 years. What are the parallels . Guest in many ways, they are representing ways of responding to similar kinds of conditions. That is, we talk a lot about throughout the museum, or at least the history galleries, the kind of violence that has been perpetrated on africanamerican communities. The black Power Movement, particularly the black panthers, who explicitly said we are trying to prevent the tradition of oakland, California Police harassing and brutalizing africanamericans. We are the black Panther Party for selfdefense. That inspired much of the black Power Movement. Similarly, the black lives Matter Movement is a response to what is perceived as ongoing set of atrocities against africanamericans, particularly young men. The techniques are very different. Modern Technology Allows black lives matter to communicate and plan very quickly in a matter of hours using modern digital technology, facebook, texting, etc. , while the black Panther Party had to use a week the weekly newspaper to communicate their goals and activities to their followers. Host before we take the next call, a reminder that we do a lot with teachers. It is all on our website at the cspan. Org. Lets go to brian in baltimore. Caller good evening. Thank you for taking my call. A couple of quick questions. First, the reginald f. Lewis Maryland Museum of African American history and culture, right down the road in baltimore, has done an excellent job partnering with the Maryland State Department of education to put together an excellent africanAmerican History curriculum. The museum does ongoing staff development, professional Development Opportunities for teachers. My first question is, are there any plans for the National Museum of African American history and culture to do similar types of projects either with nonprofit organizations for any local or other School Districts . Maybe the department of education, who knows . My second question is more pers as a charter member, i have been trying to go to the charter member ticket site, and im having difficulty getting dates. Is there any information on will that site be up and running again to get tickets . Host brian, thank you for the questions. Guest about the Educational Programs and partnerships with other organizations, we have a very active Education Programs department. They created a series of Early Childhood and teenage programs. We work a lot with both School Groups and teachers and caregivers, so those programs have actually been ongoing for the last eight years. Particularly with Teacher Education and caregiver programs, and we plan on expanding that. There is educational material on our website, and we are currently doing a program around National History day where members of the are working with members of the staff are working with students on their National History day projects. In terms of the website for charter members, i have to admit host sharon from maryland, you get the last call. Good evening. Welcome to the program. Caller i have to say, thank you for your interest, your knowledge and your enthusiasm about the museum. I would like to ask you, could you talk more about black inventors, such as andrew beard, who invented the coupling device. Or Garrett Morgan with the streetlight and gas mask, or od with theo telephone device. , the third electrical rail and the tunnel. Host a lot of stories to tell. Guest there are lots of stories and we look forward to telling them. Garrett morrisons gas mask on display from his family. There is one inventor prominently displayed in the exhibition. Talking about the importance of education and innovation in the American History. There are dozens of stories. Lewis latimer and his work with the electric lamp. Medical, such as charles drew. We are in the process of trying to collect material from dr. Drews family. Dealing with the development of blood banks. We are also looking at Percy Julians family and talking with them about the developer of artificial cortisone, so important for medical procedures. We are looking at a range of innovators, both in science and technology. There are plenty of publications. There are some movies about them, as we have noted. There is a lot of material known. We need to put it all together with the artifacts. Host as people walk through this museum and you look at their faces, what is going through your mind . Guest i am thrilled at the variety of people who come through this museum. They are from a variety of nations. Of different ages, different races, and they are taken with the storytelling, and they find it relevant to their lives, and they are respectful of each other and of themselves. I think that is much of the lesson that we are trying to convey. Host we will conclude on that note. Thank you very much for being with us. Guest thank you. Host a reminder that all of our coverage is available on cspan. Org. Thank you for joining us on cspan3s American History tv. Q a week on i learned the value compromise in the program. It has completely changed. A special program devoted to hearing from High School Students attending the United States senate youth program, where they shared thoughts about government and politics. Sure in safely say i am am absolutely uncertain of what a believe and i think thats a good thing. Hard work and a fair chance or everybody to reach the top will turn out to be not an equal result, but equal chance for everybody. Tonight at 8 00 eastern on cspans q a. Afterwards,n Washington Times National Security Columnist Bill hurts with this book about modern warfare involving with new technologies. Is interviewed by congressman stiff monica of new york, chair of the Armed Services subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities. Isit to look at what i feel the new form of warfare that emerging in the 21st century. I have covered National Security affairs for over 30 years, then all over the world covering these issues. I think its reflection of the Information Age that we are now looking at this new form of warfare, which i Call Information warfare. I define that as both the technical cyber we have seen much of in terms of Cyber Attacks from the russians and content as well as the influence type of thing. It emerged in the last president ial election with the russian what is been called the cyber enabled influence operation. These two things i believe are going to be the dominant form of warfare. Watch afterwards tonight at 9 00 eastern on cspan2s book tv. Now, federal judges discussed the bill of rights and how it is relevant to hundred 25 years after ratification 225 years after ratification on technology, samesex marriage and the press. This is just over an hour and half. Good