National Museum of African American History and Culture Announces Day of Giving

Tomorrow, Sept. 13, is a day to give. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C., will be launching a one-day giving campaign, a 24-hour, online, social-media-driven effort to encourage donations from $10 to $25,000, that will be used to promote the museum’s mission to cultivate, lift, and share, African American history and culture as a lens for American history.

Dedicated or Sept. 24 by President Barack Obama, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives and how it helped us shape this nation. A place that transcends the boundaries of race and culture that divide us, and becomes a lens into a story that unites us all, according to the museum’s site.

The grand opening weekend for the museum will have a concert featuring Living Colour, Public Enemy, The Roots, Experience Unlimited (EU), Meshell Ndegeocello, and a special guest to be announced.

The weekend will also feature Freedom Sounds: A Community Celebration that will include musical performances, dance, spoken word, oral history activities, a drum circle, storytelling, and interactive workshops and a mural wall by artist Cey Adams. There will be opportunities to explore and celebrate the museum’s rich content and stories. The festival will include all the southern and Caribbean cuisine your heart desires including southern BBQ, soul food, Caribbean jerk, and more.

Kick off the museum opening excitement this Giving Day, Tuesday, Sept. 13, to contribute to the cause of raising critical funds for NMAAHC’s ongoing programs and exhibitions. Hyundai, the Giving Day sponsor, will provide up to $500,000 for matching gifts made online at givenmaahc.org.

For more information about Giving Day, the museum and its opening celebrations, be sure to visit the nmaahc.edu.