National Museum of African American History and Culture Offers Special Women’s History Month Programming

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will celebrate Women’s History Month with four public programs, including two special programs exploring the stories of pioneers Harriet Tubman and Recy Taylor. All events are free and will take place in the museum’s Oprah Winfrey Theater.

Using the #HiddenHerstory hashtag, the museum’s social media will honor women who have shaped American history through a commitment to ending discrimination. The social media campaign will feature the stories of local women, artists, activists and educators who persisted despite the many intersecting forms of discrimation.

The museum’s Center for the Study of African American Religious Life will screen two films, Let the Church Say Amen! and Verdict: Not Guilty Thursday, March 8, from, 2 to 5 p.m. Cinema + Conversation: Let the Church Say Amen! includes a discussion moderated by Eric Williams, the museum’s curator of religion. Registration is strongly encouraged at www.etix.com.

Taking the Stage returns Saturday, March 10, from 3 to 5 p.m. with Taking the Stage: Power! Stokely Carmichael by Meshaun Labrone. The one-man theater piece journeys into the mind of revolutionary Stokely Carmichael as he prepares to engage in a standoff with state police during the 1966 March Against Fear in Canton, Miss. Meshaun Labrone, who wrote the theater piece, will join a discussion following the performance. Registration is encouraged at www.etix.com.

On Friday, March 16, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., the museum will present Cinema + Conversation: The Rape of Recy Taylor. The film tells the story of 24-year-old Taylor who was gang raped by six white boys in 1944 Alabama. After Taylor bravely identified her rapists, the NAACP sent its chief rape investigator Rosa Parks, who rallied support for Taylor and triggered an unprecedented outcry for justice. The film exposes a legacy of physical abuse against black women and reveals Parks’ intimate role in Taylor’s story. Registration is strongly encouraged at www.etix.com.

Harriet’s Daughters: An Evening of Conversation and Celebration concludes Women’s History Month celebration, Thursday, March 29, from 6:45 to 9:45 p.m. Featured panelists Barbara Arnwine, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh and Samantha Masters will explore Harriet Tubman’s legacy extending far beyond Tubman’s role in the Civil War and The Underground Railroad. A century after her death, Tubman's refusal to adhere to the limits placed on her race and gender by society has implications for women today. “Harriet’s Daughters” includes a keynote talk by Kimberle Crenshaw. Known for the introduction and development of intersectional theory, Crenshaw is professor at the UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School and founder of Columbia Law School’s Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies and the African American Policy Forum. Registration is strongly encouraged at www.etix.com.

About the National Museum of African American History and Culture                   

The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened Sept. 24, 2016, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument, 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. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu, follow @NMAAHC on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat—or call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000.

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