National Museum of African American History and Culture To Offer Community Curation Programs in St. Louis and East St. Louis
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will bring its Community Curation Project to St. Louis and East St. Louis this September. The Community Curation Project, led by the museum’s Robert F. Smith Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History, empowers communities to share their family stories by providing the resources and technology to digitize and preserve materials. From Sept. 5 through Sept. 29, the NMAAHC team will focus on digitizing materials for the community and local organizations while also introducing signature NMAAHC programs such as A Seat at the Table and Historically Speaking, along with events designed for the local communities of St. Louis and East St. Louis.
Registration and more information are available for all programs and events at nmaahc.si.edu/ccpstlouis2024.
“These programs and events are specifically designed to engage and connect with the St. Louis and East St. Louis communities while fostering a deeper understanding of African American history by equipping participants with the tools, skills and knowledge needed to preserve their histories,” said Doretha Williams, NMAAHC’s director of the Robert F. Smith Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History. “By digitizing community materials and sharing the stories behind them, the museum is ensuring that everyday American history is preserved.”
St. Louis and East St. Louis Programs and Events
Audiovisual Digitization
Saturday, Sept. 7–Sunday, Sept. 29
The public are invited to bring their most treasured home movies, home videos and audio tapes to have them digitized by Smithsonian conservation staff members. Media digitization will convert participants’ memories into digital files they can watch on their computer and share on social media. Due to the time constraints associated with media digitization, Smithsonian staff can only accommodate five items per family. For more details and to register, visit nmaahc.si.edu/ccpstlouis2024.
gOD-Talk Documentary Screenings
Thursday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 8
This thought-provoking film explores the intersection of religion and culture in African American history, providing a deeper understanding of the role of faith in shaping the African American experience and its impact on the world today. For more details and to register, visit nmaahc.si.edu/ccpstlouis2024.
Freedmen’s Bureau Search Portal Workshops—Missouri Resources
Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7
Community members will have the opportunity to explore a custom portal dedicated to helping them find ancestors. This comprehensive search platform is designed to help family historians and genealogists find their ancestors and to assist scholars and students in researching various topics found in more than 1.7 million pages of Freedmen’s Bureau records. For more details and to register, visit nmaahc.si.edu/ccpstlouis2024.
Genealogy Program: A Holy Inheritance: The History of Black Catholics in St. Louis with Winnie Sullivan
Saturday, Sept. 7
This program will tell the story of African American Catholics in St. Louis, tracing their arrival in the area from before the city’s founding to the present day. Recalling this history reveals the resilience of Black Catholics who, despite hardship, persistently sought their rightful place within the community of Catholic faithful. For more details and to register, visit nmaahc.si.edu/ccpstlouis2024.
A Seat at the Table
Thursday, Sept. 12
This program is an opportunity to learn more about St. Louis’s rich history and enjoy a menu including local favorites. It will feature a panel of archivists, librarians, genealogists and researchers dedicated to preserving and maintaining archives and artifacts that connect present-day populations with their ancestral communities. For more details and to register, visit nmaahc.si.edu/ccpstlouis2024.
Historically Speaking
Saturday, Sept. 14
This program will discuss the preservation efforts of historic Black neighborhoods and engage with thought leaders dedicated to celebrating and maintaining African American heritage. For more details and to register, visit nmaahc.si.edu/ccpstlouis2024.
Personal Digital Archiving Workshops
Thursday, Sept. 19
This workshop will teach participants how to care for, preserve, catalog and digitize their film, video, documents and photos with NMAAHC audiovisual archivist CK Ming. It will include information on best practices, resources and services to preserve family history in the long term. For more details and to register, visit nmaahc.si.edu/ccpstlouis2024.
Collecting Family Oral Histories
Saturday, Sept. 21
Participants can explore how essential oral histories are, how to preserve them and how to conduct extensive research on family histories with Kelly Navies, a museum specialist in oral history at NMAAHC. For more details and to register, visit nmaahc.si.edu/ccpstlouis2024.
About the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Since opening Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has welcomed 11 million in-person visitors and millions more through its digital presence. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. The museum has also launched and is continually expanding its reach with the Searchable Museum portal and other efforts to bring African American history into the world’s hands and homes. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu, follow @NMAAHC on X, Facebook and Instagram or call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000.
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