National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture, a Smithsonian museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., grew from a century-long campaign to give African American history a prominent national home. First proposed in 1915 by African-American Union Army veterans, the idea survived decades of stalled efforts, political debate, and questions over cost, control, and location before Congress authorized the museum in 2003. Its permanent building opened in 2016 after site selection, design, and construction during the previous decade. Now the world’s largest museum devoted to African American history and culture, it stands as a major national acknowledgment of African American experience as central to U.S. history.

Washington, District of Columbia · United States