What's Gay About the Smithsonian's African-American Museum? A Lot

Discussion in 'LGBT News and Events' started by cuspofbeauty, Sep 22, 2016.

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  1. cuspofbeauty

    cuspofbeauty
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    It shouldn’t be a surprise that talking about African-American history includes lessons about black LGBT people, and now that history is on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, opening this weekend.

    “It’s difficult to tell the story of African-American history and culture without acknowledging the accomplishments and contributions of African-Americans who cover a spectrum of identities and experiences, including gender identities and orientations,” curator Aaron Bryant tells the Center for Black Equity. "Our goal is to tell the story of America’s history through an African-American lens, and so the museum embraces and celebrates the fact that black communities are diverse, as is American culture and history.”

    The new museum is designed to give the visitor the sense of looking at history through the “lens” of the African-American experience, with five openings representing the “lenses.”

    There won’t be a specific LGBT section; instead, several of the museum's collections will contain artifacts related to LGBT black life. The inaugural exhibits include 11 collections covering the range of historical, social and cultural contributions of African-Americans, with more exhibitions slated for 2017. Over 34,000 items from sports, music and performance, military history, civil rights, and more fill five levels and over 400,000 square feet of space. And the LGBT contributions are included throughout, just as in history itself.

    One artifact is a playbill from the play The Colored Museum, a compilation of sketches written by Tony award-winning playwright George C. Wolfe in 1986. The play features 11 satirical depictions of African-American life, including Miss Roz, a black transgender woman originally played by late actor Reggie Montgomery.

    A playbill from Lorraine Hansberry’s work A Raisin in the Sun, partly parodied by The Colored Museum, is also a part of the "Taking the Stage" exhibition, featuring contributions to the arts.Hansberry, who died of cancer at 34, wrote about sexuality and dated women, and she joined the first lesbian political group, Daughters of Bilitis.

    An iconic picture represents the Million Man March, a rally in Washington, D.C., first held in 1995, in the "Making a Way Out of No Way" exhibition. The black-and-white photo, shot by Roderick Terry, depicts an attendee holding a sign reading in part “I’m a black gay man.” A D.C. activist who wrote about the event on its 20th anniversary recalled hundreds of black gay men and lesbians participating in the march.

    The museum officially opens to the public Saturday and is booked through November. The kickoff celebration features three days of events, including a performance by bisexual musician Meshell Ndegeocello.
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    #1 cuspofbeauty, Sep 22, 2016
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  2. Winston Smith

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    I'm going to reserve judgment until I go back to DC and it's open. Most of what I saw on TV there just made me think it was going to be a quick and dirty walk through history. From reading the article, it seems like they are trying to bury black LGBT contributions by hiding in plain sight.
     
    #2 Winston Smith, Sep 22, 2016
  3. Fanon

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    I'm glad they did this. There's no need to have a separate section for black lgbt+ men and women. Plus, bigoted black heterosexuals, like my mom, can't purposely look over the huge contributions we've made both in our community and this country.
     
    #3 Fanon, Sep 23, 2016
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  4. jusrawb

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    This is good to hear because I'm really not too familiar of all the black gay contributions to our black history. I can't wait to visit, not to please to hear its booked till November though.
     
    #4 jusrawb, Sep 23, 2016
  5. OckyDub

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    Q: What does "booked till November" mean?
    A: According to the Washington Post, every single one of the free 28,500 timed passes arranged for the museum’s opening weekend were snagged within the hour. For now, weekend tickets are sold out until December 23.
    ************************
    All 28,500 tickets to the opening weekend of the National Museum of African American History and Culture after they went on sale Saturday morning. By Sunday afternoon, the only passes available to the Smithsonian museum were for weekdays in October.

    Those who were quick enough to reserve the free tickets signed up for the date and a 15-minute window of time whenthey will be able to enter the museum, which opens Sept. 24. Officials hope this system will cut down on long wait times expected in the musem’s early months. For those who didn’t nab tickets, the museum will give out same-day passes starting Monday, Sept. 26. They will be distributed first-come, first-served starting at 9:15 a.m. each day.

    Given the high demand, spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas said the Smithsonian will discuss ways to expand access to the museum. It may consider extending the museum’s hours, which are listed as 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    “We’re thrilled at this level of interest,” St. Thomas said Sunday. “We would like to make sure everyone who wants to come is able to come at some point.”

    The remaining tickets can be obtained at nmaahc.si.edu or by calling 800-514-3849 or 919-653-0443 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. There is a limit of six passes per request. Tickets for November and December are not yet available, but officials plan to continue the reserved pass program indefinitely.

    On the museum’s opening day, there will be a grand opening ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. President Obama is expected to be there. Tickets are not required to attend the outdoor ceremony,but the museum expects the crowd to be large enough to require multiple screens in the surrounding area so everyone can view the festivities.

    The museum officially opens at 2 p.m., followed by an invitation-only gala at the Kennedy Center. On Sunday, it will remain open from 10 a.m. to midnight.
     
    #5 OckyDub, Sep 23, 2016
  6. cuspofbeauty

    cuspofbeauty
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    I have tickets for Dec 2nd
     
    #6 cuspofbeauty, Sep 23, 2016
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