New Texas African American History Memorial in Austin

Hello!

The holiday season is quickly approaching. A highlight for local history in 2016 is the recent unveiling of the Texas African American History Memorial in Austin. Mayor Sylvester Turner was in attendance. The monument depicts Juneteenth, an important holiday for Black Texans. Read more below.

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/11/19/texas-african-american-history-memorial/


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Commemorating Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in major-league baseball, passed away on this day (October 24) in 1972.  This post from the National Museum of American History's blog highlights a special comic book that featured Robinson in 1950.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2013/06/jackie-robinson-comic-book-hero-42.html

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New "Historically Black" Project Uses Archival Objects to Teach Black History

In light of the recent opening of the NMAAHC, the Washington Post has commenced a project called Historically Black, which consists of a Tumblr and a podcast that showcase various manuscripts, photographs, and objects related to Black history. Check it out below.

Tumblr: http://historicallyblack.tumblr.com/
Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1155053105

Historically Black is a unique partnership between the Washington Post, American Public Media (APM), and a number of Black writers, performers, and tastemakers. So far, it sets a great example of intersections between archival work and popular culture.

Click the following link to read about one man's discovery of his family history through an ancestor's bill of sale. This story was recently featured on Historically Black. -->  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/10/03/a-hunt-for-his-slave-ancestors-original-bill-of-sale-unearthed-a-surprising-history/

Have a good week!


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A Legislative History of the NMAAHC

Happy October!

The nation has been buzzing all year about the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC. The museum opened on Saturday, September 24, 2016 with a grand celebration. While many people know that the museum was in construction for several years prior to its opening, most don't know that attempts to establish such an institution began more than a century ago. Until November 9, two important documents related to the establishment of NMAAHC will be on display in the museum's East Rotunda Gallery.

Details here: prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2016/09/01/on-exhibit-an-act-to-establish-the-nmaahc/

For more perspective on the building and curating process for NMAAHC, see this 2013 article from Smithsonian Magazine. It recounts how a historic train car was placed in NMAAHC before construction was completed: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/installing-an-artifact-in-a-museum-that-hasnt-even-been-built-yet-180947712/?no-ist

Happy reading!

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