Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture

#OnThisDay in 1859, John Brown began his raid of the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Brown supported many enslaved African Americans’ desires to rise in armed rebellion against the injustice of enslavement. He openly advocated for the use of violence to end slavery as an institution. Though he was a white American, Brown lived in a Black community established by abolitionist Gerrit Smith. Brown became enraged by the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, which made it illegal to help runaways and required white citizens to assist in their capture. Brown’s 1859 rebellion was the actualization of fears that supporters of the Fugitive Slave Law had about white abolitionists helping coordinate slave rebellions. Several militias ended Brown's insurrection after just 36 hours. Of the 19 men who made up Brown’s forces, 10 were killed, 5 imprisoned, and the others fled. Four townspeople also died, and more than a dozen militiamen were wounded. Brown and his captured men were charged with treason, first-degree murder and "conspiring with Negroes to produce insurrection." All the charges carried the death penalty. Brown was executed by hanging on the morning of December 2, 1859. Learn more on our Searchable Museum: https://s.si.edu/45xYKc2 #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory ?? Carte-de-visite of John Brown, ca. 1855. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Today’s the last chance to apply for our museum’s ?? Spring 2025 internship! Interns will have opportunities to work closely with museum professionals and scholars through a dynamic learning environment with access to supportive mentors.

#OnThisDay, George Floyd would have turned 51. Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1973, Floyd played basketball and football at Jack Yates Senior High School. His talent earned him notoriety as a tight end, and he led the football team's 1992 Texas state championship. Floyd was later recruited to play basketball at South Florida State College in Avon Park, Florida. Floyd gained local notoriety by performing with popular Houston rapper DJ Screw and his Screwed Up Click under the name "Big Floyd." Floyd's deep baritone flow on songs like "Sittin' on Top of the World" and "Freestyle-Sugar Hill" helped popularize the slowed-down rapping style known as "chopped and screwed." A devoted Christian, Floyd worked alongside pastor Patrick "PT" Ngwolo, Resurrection Houston Church, to distribute Bibles, set up baptisms, and reach out to those living in Cuney Homes Housing Projects. Floyd worked several jobs — at a local Salvation Army shelter, as a truck driver, and as a nightclub bouncer. Described as a "shining light in the community," Floyd went out of his way to help others and encourage those in need. Stephanie Square, a neighborhood friend, told NPR, "He was always encouraging… he never stopped. All he did was encourage everyone and tell you words like, I'm so proud of you; you're going to make it; you're going to be an example to a lot of others. I think that's his legacy, and that's what we try to do - is to just continue to give back and do the same thing, encourage the younger ones." #SayHisName ?? Courtesy of Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.

#OnThisDay in 1964, it was announced that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent campaign for civil rights in the United States. At 35 years of age, the Georgia-born minister was the youngest person ever to receive the award at the time. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory ?? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. receives some help with his tie from his wife Coretta before his Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on December 10, 1964 in Oslo, Norway. Photograph by Moneta Sleet Jr. Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

#OnThisDay in 1962, a social fellowship called Groove Phi Groove was founded at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Its 14 founders wanted to create an alternative to traditional Black fraternities. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory ?? Ayantee [1970], pages 59-60. Courtesy of North Carolina A&T University, F.D. Bluford Library, shared via North Carolina Digital Heritage Center.

Intern at one of Washington, D.C.'s most exciting museums! ??? Our museum provides a dynamic learning environment and access to supportive mentors that help interns reach their educational and professional goals. Interns can gain practical museum skills and program development experience in a variety of traditional and non-traditional museum careers. "I loved and still cherish my internship at NMAAHC. It was the highlight of my undergraduate career. Working at such a meaningful, symbolic, and impactful organization gave me a sense of purpose, especially as a young Black woman in America." - Jada A., Curatorial Internship intern (2019) Learn more and apply before Tuesday, October 15: https://s.si.edu/434KJ4x

In celebration of the “Reclaiming My Time” exhibition, join us for a roundtable discussion featuring designers from the exhibition, including Rachelle Baker, Stephen Burks, Sheila Bridges, and others. Washington Post culture critic Robin Givhan will moderate a conversation examining their creative philosophies, practices, and goals, as well as topics such as curating one’s domestic environment, interior design, and the creation of spaces for rest and restoration. Free admission. See registration details: https://s.si.edu/3NhD1hW

Fannie Lou Hamer was born #OnThisDay in 1917. As a community organizer, Hamer co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), which challenged the local Democratic Party’s efforts to block Black participation. Hamer worked to register poor residents of the Mississippi Delta who were denied access through literacy tests, fines, and intimidation. In 1962, Hamer joined 17 of her neighbors on a bus to Indianola, the county seat, and attempted to register. Officials blocked most of the group but allowed Hamer and one man to fill out applications and take the literacy test. They both failed. On the drive back to Ruleville, the bus was stopped, and the driver arrested for operating a bus that “was too yellow.” Hamer was subsequently fired from her sharecropping job, rendering her both jobless and homeless. At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Hamer delivered a fiery speech detailing the horrors of attempting to access the ballot for a national audience. In a 1969 interview with The New York Amsterdam News, Hamer said, “The only thing they could do to me was to kill me, and it seemed like they’d been trying to do that a little bit at a time ever since I could remember.” A key voice and political strategist of the civil rights era, Hamer was also known for singing freedom songs during mass meetings and marches, leading crowds in rousing renditions of spirituals like “This Little Light of Mine.” She remained dedicated to the fight for equal rights and democracy throughout her life, founding the Freedom Farm Cooperative and co-founding the National Women’s Political Caucus. #APeoplesJourney ?? 1. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, ? The Louis Draper Archive. 2. and 3. Photographs by Maurice Sorrell. Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

#DYK that the 26th Amendment to the Constitution lowered the voting age for all Americans? Ratified on July 1, 1971, President Richard Nixon added the provision to lower the age after widespread demands that it coincides with the age for military selective service registration. #ANationsStory

#DYK that confusing questions were a form of voter suppression used to ensure African Americans failed the literacy test requirements for voter registration and could legally be denied the right to vote. #ANationsStory