The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture recently hosted the inaugural National Conversation on Race: Reckoning with Our Racial Past.
The event is the first in a series of conversations throughout the country designed to bring people together to discuss race and racism in a historical, cultural and contemporary context, Smithsonian said. The panel examined how events during the past two years have affected and shaped the ongoing legacy of race and racism in the U.S.
The National Conversation is a part of the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past initiative that includes remarks from Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and a musical performance by composer and producer Nolan Williams Jr.
The museum also will hold its annual Freedom’s Eve program featuring jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker that looks into how enslaved Blacks celebrated New Year’s Eve in the past and how African Americans use food as a tool to wish for good fortune in the future. In addition, starting Dec. 26, the public can view a new video on Kwanzaa’s history and how to celebrate it with museum specialist and oral historian Kelly Navies.
December highlights the continuation of the museum’s Dine and Shop Pass option in which people can get a two-per-day limit of passes to access both the facility’s store and Sweet Home Café between 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. during regular operating hours. Passes must be reserved 48 hours in advance at 8 a.m. ET on a rolling basis.
For more information about the museum, go to nmaahc.si.edu, follow @NMAAHC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or call 202-633-1000.