Museums highlight Black History Month

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When did Black History Month become a month?In 1976, fifty years after the start of Negro History Week, the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History used its influence to institutionalize the shifts from a week to a month.(African Burial Ground National Monument)

From MSNBC: Throughout February, museums, cities and cultural venues around the country are marking Black History Month with a variety of temporary exhibitions and special events.

In Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is presenting “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty” at the National Museum of American History through Oct. 14.

The exhibit includes artifacts excavated at Monticello and objects from the Smithsonian’s collection, including a set of slave shackles and the lap desk Jefferson used to write the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. “At the time he was espousing the opinion that all men are created equal, Jefferson owned approximately 150 slaves,” said James Gordon, spokesman for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “During his lifetime, Jefferson owned about 600 slaves so, in fact, in his eyes all men weren’t equal.”

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