AA History & Culture

Take a tour through Black history in 100+ Smithsonian objects with this updated edition of the beautifully illustrated keepsake—now featuring 72 new objects.

Celebrating 10 years of the National Museum of African American History!

Admire up-close more than 125 of the most influential and important objects from the collections at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. This second edition souvenir book
features 72 new objects that represent the triumphs and tragedies and highs and lows of the Black community across history, including:

• Bisa Butler’s I Go To Prepare A Place For You (2021), a quilted and appliquéd textile portrait of Harriet Tubman

• Dress worn by Carlotta Walls, the youngest of the Little Rock Nine

• The Negro Motorist Green-Book, a guidebook for African American roadtrippers

• Mirror casket (2014), an artwork and performance piece created to accompany civil rights protests, marches, and programs in the St. Louis area
• Carte-de-visite of the Jubilee Singers, an African American a capella ensemble first organized in 1871 to raise funds for college
• Pair of Air Jordan I shoes game worn and autographed by Michael Jordan

Small and light for easy reading and portability, the book spans a range of topics, such as:

• Movements: Antislavery, emancipation and reconstruction, segregation, civil rights, women’s clubs, March on Washington, the Black Panther Party, and 21st century activism
• Notable people: Includes a range of people from historical figures, craftspeople, politicians, artists, athletes, and performing artists to everyday people who made a difference.
• Cultural expressions: Design, quilting, musical traditions, pop culture, fine art, food, performing arts, sports and the Olympics, the Black press, and visual art

This book, like the museum it represents, uses artifacts of African American history and culture as a lens into what it means to be an American.