What a day I’ve had! I learned about African Native American history. I saw First Lady Michelle Obama’s Jimmy Choos on display. I took pictures and video of the Tea Party protest of Health Care Reform on the steps of the capital and was told about the 2nd Revolution on the way. I witnessed a very moving anti-war demonstration near the Washington Monument. And…I found out that the protesters are really bold and don’t like the fact that you can’t take protest signs into the Smithsonian buildings [duh!!]. I wasn’t there when the Tea Party crowd was shouting “nigger” at Rep. John Lewis by the way. I’m going to have to break this post into a few parts.
It all began as a usual day just hanging out on the National Mall. I was very excited to visit the The National Museum of the American Indian for the “IndiVisible” exhibit.
Within the fabric of American identity is woven a story that has long been invisible—the lives and experiences of people who share African American and Native American ancestry. African and Native peoples came together in the Americas. Over centuries, African Americans and Native Americans created shared histories, communities, families, and ways of life. Prejudice, laws, and twists of history have often divided them from others, yet African-Native American people were united in the struggle against slavery and dispossession, and then for self-determination and freedom. For African-Native Americans, their double heritage is truly indivisible.
It is a beautiful exhibit and I’m so glad I got to see it. If you’re in DC, check it out. Before we got to NMAI, I went over to the American History Museum to see Michelle Obama’s Inauguration Ball dress. Lovely! Here are the photos I took:
