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Historic Freedom Bell to ring in African American History Museum opening

The restored First Baptist Church Freedom Bell. (Credit: Colonial Williamsburg)

It rang this year for the first time since segregation, for a congregation that formed as our nation was founded.

The next time the Freedom Bell tolls, it will be for a historic moment in the African American story, a story in which it plays a part: the grand opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Sept. 24

The museum is more than a century in the making, and the steel bell—deemed the Freedom Bell—has a similarly long past.

The First Baptist Church of Williamsburg on Nassau Street circa 1901. The building served as the church's home for a century, from 1856 until 1956. (Credit: John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library Special Collections, Colonial Williamsburg)

It starts with the First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Va. The congregation began in secret in 1776, made up of enslaved and free African Americans who wanted to worship on their own terms. It's believed to be first church in the United States that was organized entirely by African Americans, for African Americans.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg on Jun 26, 1962 with Pastor Rev. David Collins, left, and civil rights leader Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker. (Credit: First Baptist Church)

In 1886, the First Baptist Church acquired and used the Freedom Bell, which was manufactured by Blymyer Norton & Co. in Cincinnati. After years of silence because of architectural and mechanical issues in the 20th century, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation assisted the church in restoring the bell in 2015. Descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings were the first members of the public to ring it on Feb. 1 of this year and all told, thousands of people rang the bell in Williamsburg.

Now, the 500-pound bell continues its journey with a trip to the nation's capital, where it will ring at the dedication of the Smithsonian's newest museum. President Barack Obama, nearing the end of his historic presidency, will be in attendance for the opening of a national museum dedicated to telling the American story through the African American lens.

“That it will ring on such a day in the presence of our nation's first African-American president, is a glorious advent that we could not have shared in our prayers or imagined in our wildest dreams,” said First Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Dr. Reginald F. Davis in a news release.

Observing the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg's bell in the bell tower of the church on Dec. 1, 2015, during the bell's conservation. Pictured are conservators Tina Gessler, right, and David Blanchfield.

After the museum's grand opening, the Freedom Bell will return to Williamsburg—130 years after it first arrived.

More information on the Freedom Bell can be found at Let Freedom Ring Challenge.

Learn more about the museum's grand opening on its website.

The post Historic Freedom Bell to ring in African American History Museum opening appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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National Museum of African American History and Culture Opens this Weekend

National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture opens Saturday, Sept. 24, following a dedication ceremony with President Barack Obama. When it opens, the museum will display more than 3,000 artifacts ranging from pieces of a slave ship to Carl Lewis' Olympic medals. Its staff of 200 can boast a fundraising program that has topped $315 million in private funds. Visually striking, the museum is on the National Mall at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 14th Street, N.W., across from the Washington Monument.

History, community and culture are the themes of the museum's 12 inaugural exhibitions. The 400,000-square-foot museum also houses an education and technology center on the second floor, the Sweet Home Café, a museum store, the Oprah Winfrey Theater, a welcome center and orientation theater, and a contemplative court.

“This joyous day was born out of a century of fitful and frustrated efforts to commemorate African American history in the nation's capital,” says Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the museum. “Now at last the National Museum of African American History and Culture is open for every American and the world to better understand the African American journey and how it shaped America.”

National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution

Dedication Ceremony

On Saturday, Sept. 24, the museum's official dedication will take place at 10 a.m. on an outdoor stage facing the Washington Monument grounds. The public is encouraged to bring blankets as there will be no seating on the Monument grounds. Jumbotrons will broadcast the ceremony across the site. The program will combine speeches with musical performances and readings by well-known actors. Among the dignitaries attending will be Rep. John Lewis, President and Mrs. George W. Bush, the Chief Justice, Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton and Bunch. Obama's speech will be followed by celebratory fanfare and a city-wide bell ringing.

Grand-Opening Celebration

A free, three-day festival commemorating the new museum begins at noon Friday, Sept. 23, on the Washington Monument grounds between 15th and 17th streets along Constitution Avenue. “Freedom Sounds: A Community Celebration” will feature music, performances, oral histories, storytelling and workshops. Evening concerts featuring well-known performers will be presented on two large, tented stages and include Living Colour, Public Enemy, The Roots, Experience Unlimited (EU), singer Meshell Ndegeocello and a special guest to be announced.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture

Visiting the Museum

Hours for the grand-opening weekend will be Saturday, 18 p.m., and Sunday, 7 a.m.midnight. The museum is free, but timed passes will be required for the foreseeable future. The free, timed passes are available online at www.nmaahc.si.edu and through ETIX Customer Support Center, 919-653-0443 or 800-514-3849. Starting Monday, Sept. 26, the museum will begin distributing a limited number of same-day passes beginning at 9:15 a.m. All visitors will go through security screening and bag checks at the entrances.

Detailed information on visiting, including hours, special programs, directions, public transportation, parking and tours, will be regularly updated at www.nmaahc.si.edu.

Inaugural Exhibitions

“A Century in the Making”—This exhibit provides an overview of the century-long struggle to open the museum.

Slave buttons used by slave trader Thomas H. Porter, on view in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

History Galleries

“Slavery and Freedom”—The centerpiece of the museum, this exhibition explores the complex story of slavery and freedom.
“Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: Era of Segregation 18761968”—Takes visitors from the end of Reconstruction through the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
“A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond”—Illustrates the impact of African Americans on life in the U.S., from the death of Martin Luther King Jr. to the second election of President Barack Obama.

A miniature pair of shackles used as a protective amulet by the Lobi tribe of West Africa. The bronze shackles consist of a pair of loops linked to a single bolt. There is a third loop at the top of the amulet. The bronze is covered with a dark patina.

Community Galleries

“Power of Place”—Explores the idea of place and region as a crucial component of the African American experience.
“Making a Way Out of No Way”—The stories in this gallery show the ways in which African Americans created possibilities in a world that denied them opportunities.
“Sports Gallery”—Looks at the contributions of athletes on and off the field.
“Military History Gallery”—Conveys a sense of appreciation and respect for the military service of African Americans from the American Revolution to the current war on terrorism.

Revolutionary (Angela Davis), 1971, by Wadsworth A. Jarrell (American, born 1929). Acrylic and mixed media on canvas. National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Culture Galleries

“Musical Crossroads”—Tells the story of African American music from the arrival of the first Africans to today's hip-hop.
“Cultural Expressions”—An introduction to the concept of African American and African diaspora culture.
“Visual Arts Gallery”—Illustrates the critical role that African American artists played in shaping the history of American art.
“Taking the Stage”—Explores the history of African Americans in theater, film and television.

United States Farm Security Administration portrait of George Washington Carver, March 1942, by Arthur Rothstein for U.S. Farm Security Administration. National Museum of African American History and Cultuer.

The Building

NMAAHC was designed by a collaboration of four firms that formed the Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup, with David Adjaye as design architect and Phil Freelon as lead architect. About 60 percent of the building is below ground.

Above Ground

Fifth floor: Staff offices, board room (closed to the public)

Fourth floor: Culture galleries: “Musical Crossroads,” “Cultural Expressions,” “Visual Arts Gallery,” “Taking the Stage”

Third floor: Community galleries: “Power of Place,” “Making a Way Out of No Way,” “Sports Gallery,” “Military History Gallery”

Second floor: Education and resource space, Center for African American Media Arts

First floor: Central Hall (named Heritage Hall), welcome center, orientation theater, museum shop

Below Ground

Concourse 0: Atrium, contemplative court, Oprah Winfrey Theater, Special Exhibitions Gallery, Sweet Home Café

Concourse 1: History Gallery—“1968 and Beyond”

Concourse 2: History Gallery—“Era of Segregation”

Concourse 3: History Gallery—“Slavery and Freedom”

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