The Anacostia Community Museum in Washington, DC focuses on the history of urbanization and suburbanization from the perspective of Anacostia’s historic Uniontown neighborhood, which has a predominantly African-American population. The museum also features exhibits on ecological, social, and labor changes brought about by suburbanization and gentrification. The museum has a local, African-American slant and is the only Smithsonian museum with a year-round connection to local students. Other Smithsonian museums that focus on the black experience include the National Museum of African Art and the African American History and Culture Museum.
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC is renowned for assembling the most diverse collection of museums in America, each focusing on a particular aspect of the American experience. The Anacostia Community Museum presents the history of the country’s urbanization and suburbanization from the perspective of the first large, welcoming and accessible suburb for ethnic minorities, Anacostia’s historic Uniontown neighborhood. Because of this connection and the area’s nearly complete African-American population, the museum has become a repository for a more localized view of African-American history.
Located at 1901 Fort Place, SE, in the nation’s capital, the Anacostia museum opened in 1967 at the urging of the Smithsonian. Its original mission was to present the cultural changes that have occurred in American communities throughout history. According to the museum, however, its geographic and demographic situation has led to a mission to record and present a more intimate history of black perspectives.
Perhaps the fact that Frederick Douglas, a former slave and renowned civil rights intellectual, lived much of his life in Anacostia had something to do with the perception that the museum focuses solely on African-American issues. Douglas is commemorated in this museum with a comprehensive exhibit that dubs him the “Lion of Uniontown.” Overlooking the neighborhood called Cedar Hill, Douglas’ former home is a museum dedicated exclusively to the abolitionist and his message of unity and education.
The Anacostia museum isn’t just home to the Douglas and other black-focused displays. It also features numerous exhibits that instead focus on the various ecological, social, and labor changes brought about by the suburbanization and gentrification of various areas throughout modern history. This is accomplished in large part by presenting the history of the Anacostia region and illustrating trends that have largely occurred in urban areas nationwide.
The Anacostia Museum says it is the only one of the Smithsonian’s 20 galleries and museums to have a year-round connection with local students. The management and curators of the museum also organize a regular regimen of guest exhibitions, talks and themed performances for students and adults. Because the community is over 90 percent African American and the facility is called the Anacostia Community Museum, many of these efforts have a local, African American slant.
Two other Smithsonian museums focus more exclusively on the timeline of the black experience than the Anacostia museum. Much larger are the National Museum of African Art and the African American History and Culture Museum. The first is dedicated to the exhibition of new and ancient art from the African continent. The latter focuses on artifacts that trace the path of black culture from slavery to 2008, when the nation elected its first black president.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
