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Welcome to the Searchable Museum

A place to explorehistory and culturethrough anAfrican American lens

The Searchable Museum is transforming the museum experience, reaching beyond our walls to provide a rich digital experience and bringing the museum’s evocative content and immersive in-person visitor experience into homes around the world.  

Kevin Young, Andrew W. Mellon Director Of The Smithsonian's National Museum Of African American History And Culture

Reclaiming My Time

Explore design and art about rest, labor, and leisure in the African American community. Learn how artists are reclaiming their time.

Explore the Exhibit
Graphic poster with a stylized overlay text saying "reclaiming my time" with the name "maxine waters" below.

Make Good the Promises

Learn about Reconstruction and its legacies. Explore the African American experience after the end of slavery.

Explore Reconstruction
A black and white photograph of a family standing in front of a stone house and a large tree.

Explore

Constellations

Artifacts and topics illuminating connections to history

Start Exploring

Discover

Stories

Shining a new light on the African American past and its people.

Explore Stories
Printed cartoon showing the assignation of Octavius Catto in Philadelphia in 1871.

Octavius V. Catto

Octavius Catto was a civil rights activist in Pennsylvania. Learn about his life and impact in Philadelphia’s Black community during Reconstruction.

Black and white photgraph of 6 Black children standing in a line with hands by theri side. There are 2 boys and 4 girls pictured. The children are dressed up for school and look directly at the camera

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

The Brown v. Board decision overturned segregation in public schools. Learn how the Legal Defense Fund built lawsuits to challenge segregation in the courts.

Portrait of Bridget Biddy Mason

Bridget "Biddy" Mason

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Bridget “Biddy” Mason helped to establish the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles.

Photograph of Boat in the Marshes of St. Simon’s Island

The Water Spirit Will Take Us Home

The mass suicide by captive Africans at Igbo Landing marks one of the most significant acts of resistance by enslaved people.

Printed cartoon showing the assignation of Octavius Catto in Philadelphia in 1871.

Octavius V. Catto

Octavius Catto was a civil rights activist in Pennsylvania. Learn about his life and impact in Philadelphia’s Black community during Reconstruction.

Portrait of Bridget Biddy Mason

Bridget "Biddy" Mason

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Bridget “Biddy” Mason helped to establish the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles.

Black and white photgraph of 6 Black children standing in a line with hands by theri side. There are 2 boys and 4 girls pictured. The children are dressed up for school and look directly at the camera

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

The Brown v. Board decision overturned segregation in public schools. Learn how the Legal Defense Fund built lawsuits to challenge segregation in the courts.

Photograph of Boat in the Marshes of St. Simon’s Island

The Water Spirit Will Take Us Home

The mass suicide by captive Africans at Igbo Landing marks one of the most significant acts of resistance by enslaved people.

Understand

How We Know What We Know

Methods, tools, and sources used to study African American history and culture

Learn More
Composite Image of items featured in How We Know What We Know

Visit the Museum

Plan Your Visit
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The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture's Searchable Museum is made possible through the generous support of:
Bloomberg Philanthropies