The National African-American History and Culture museum stands as a testament to the triumphant story of Blacks in America. The museum takes a look at the history of Blacks from slavery to present day. Some of the most intriguing galleries include, From Slavery to Emancipation, From Segregation, and Community and Culture.
Music represents a significant part of Black American culture and represents the voice of a people. The museum does a significant job of highlighting different aspects of Black music from Africa, to folk music, Blues music, jazz, and soul. However, the museum falls a bit short when it comes to hip-hop.
There are powerful exhibits which features the uniform of Public Enemy’s SW1’s and a boombox; a dedication to the women of hip-hop; a section on the beginning of hip-hop in the Bronx; it pays homage to the Last Poets; 2 Pac’s handwritten lyrics are featured; there is a display for OutKast memorablia; MC Hammer’s pants; Notorious B.I.G and other prominent East Coast rappers are also featured with images.
However, the one mishap from the hip-hop exhibit is that it lacks representation of West Coast hip-hop. Rap in the 1990s revealed how different Blacks lived when it came to regions. For example, rap proved that Blacks aren’t monolthic even when it comes to culutre. Blacks in Los Angeles live differently from Blacks in the Bronx, and Blacks from Oakland lived differently from Blacks in Houston. The absence of West Coast rappers at the museum is an ommission that can be fixed in the future.
Otherwise, the National African-American History and Culture museum does a great job of paying homage to the journey of Blacks in America.
