Family Freedom Song Sing-A-Long
2:00 pm, Saturday, February 5
2^nd Floor, Flag Hall
National Museum of American History
14^th St., and Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC

As part of the Smithsonian’s Black History Month Family programming, learn music that uplifted those who joined the Civil Rights Movement, many of them young people. Guided by a conductor and a small group of youth singers from the Washington Performing Arts Society Children of the Gospel Choir, the young and young-at-heart will learn, We Shall Overcome, We Shall Not Be Moved, and other songs that lift the spirit and voice change.

Freedom Riders
6:00 pm, Wednesday, February 9
Carmichael Auditorium
National Museum of American History
14^th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

In Anniston, Alabama, an angry mob stoned and firebombed the Greyhound bus holding some of  the original Freedom Riders.

Freedom Riders hang posters from a bus.

Join us for a screening of Freedom Riders, a compelling documentary on this the 50^th anniversary of one of the most pivotal moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Immediately following the film, join Stanley Nelson, director, as he interviews former Freedom Riders; Ray Arsenault, James Lawson, Diane Nash, and Jim Zwerg. They will discuss their role in this epic journey.

Roger Guenveur Smith

Frederick Douglass

Children of the Enlightenment: The Ideological Origins of Black Agency and Activism
7:00 - 9:00 pm, Wednesday, February 16
Carmichael Auditorium
National Museum of American History
14^th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Hear Lonnie G. Bunch, Rex Ellis, Ph.D. of the National Museum of African American History, Clement Price, Ph.D. of Rutgers University in a ranging discussion and interpretation of the evolution of black activism and agency between the Revolutionary and the Civil War periods. Renowned actor Roger Guenveur Smith will recite Frederick Douglass’ “What Does the Fourth of July Mean to the Negro.” This and other expository works produced by 19^th century African American luminaries including David N. Walker, Harriett Jacobs, and Sojourner Truth will serve as the catalyst for an in-depth exploration of the manner in which African American artistic and intellectual activities were influenced during the “Age of Enlightenment."

The National Museum of African American joins two esteemed cultural, historic, and academic institutions, the Chautauqua Institution and Colonial Williamsburg to examine the deleterious effects of slavery on the development of the United States. Each organization will consider the role of abolitionism as a movement that mobilized various segments of 19^th century American society to end slavery and to the extent possible, emancipate each other from the era’s oppressive social norms. The program series is entitled: Colloquia on Slavery and Abolitionism, the Presidency and the Civil War – Three Perspectives.

For more information regarding attending any of this three-part/three-city programs, visit nmaahc.si.edu.

Slavery by Another Name with Author Douglas A. Blackmon and Bernard and Shirley Kinsey
7:00 pm, Thursday, February 24
Carmichael Auditorium
National Museum of American History
14^th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Bernard and Shirley Kinsey join author Douglas A. Blackmon in a conversation about Blackmon’s groundbreaking historical study, Slavery by Another Name:  The Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. This book brings to light one of the most shameful chapters in American history — when a cynical new form of slavery was resurrected from the ashes of the Civil War and re-imposed on hundreds of thousands of African-Americans until the dawn of World War II. A book signing will follow.

Ira Aldrige: The African Roscius
7:00 pm, Monday, February 28
Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium
Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture
8^th and F Streets, NW
Washington, DC

As part of its ongoing Cultures in Motion series, the National Portrait Gallery, in collaboration with the National Museum for African American History and Culture, presents a tribute to the life of Ira Aldridge, a celebrated 19^th century Shakespearean actor. Aldridge is played by celebrated 21^st century Shakespearean actor Avery Brooks, with NPG’s producer/actor Jewell Robinson as Aldridge’s daughter Amanda. Commissioned by the Marc Pachter Fund and written by Jacqueline Lawton, the play examines the life of an African American who was forced to emigrate to Europe in the early 1800s in order to practice his craft and who, despite the odds, transcends as an artist to the heights of his chosen profession.

This event is free; however, reservations are suggested since seating is limited. For reservations call (202) 633-8520 or e-mail NPGPublicPrograms@si.edu.

Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC – A Panel Discussion
10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Saturday, March 19
Carmichael Auditorium
National Museum of American History
14^th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Hands on the Freedom Plow editors and contributors will participate in an historic day-long series of panel discussions and a book signing. Each session opens with freedom songs and will provide an inspiring narrative to one of the most powerful social movements in American History.  For more information, please call (202) 633-0070.

Also, families may explore the Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey – Where Art and History Intersect exhibition, using your own mobile device!

The National Museum of African American History and Culture was established in 2003 by an Act of Congress, making it the 19^th Smithsonian Institution museum. Scheduled for completion in 2015, it will be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on a five-acre tract adjacent to the Washington Monument. Currently, during the pre-building phase, the museum is producing publications, hosting public programs and assembling collections. It is presenting exhibitions at other museums across the country and at its own gallery at the National Museum of American History. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu or call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000, (202) 633-5285 (TTY).