Smithsonian National Museum of American History

We're hiring! We're seeking Exhibits Specialists, GS-1010-07 & 09, with promotion potential to GS-11. This position has several vacancies, located in Exhibits Production in the Office of Building Renovation and Exhibition Services. This is a full-time, permanent Federal position open to all and to employees with Federal status, as well as special appointing authorities. The announcements closed on Tuesday, October 1st. Federal status/special authorities: https://lnkd.in/eZ3VTHDU Open to all: https://lnkd.in/eZRPQvJB #NowHiring #JobOpening

From the desk of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III: When Abraham Lincoln ran for president in 1860, he did not have abundant experience in politics and needed to introduce his candidacy to the American people at a time of great political division. Banners like this one from Smithsonian National Museum of American History and posters like this one from National Portrait Gallery remind me of the vital importance of introducing a candidate's values, personality, and positions to voters. Though technology has transformed what a presidential campaign looks like in 2024, capturing voters' attention is still as critical as it was when Lincoln's campaign team produced an incredible volume of pamphlets and posters, many of which we maintain in the Smithsonian's collections today. On this National Voter Registration Day, I reflect upon the fact that this election too will one day be history—and I encourage you to make a plan to register, vote, and help shape it. #NationalVoterRegistrationDay

Today is National Voter Registration Day, a civic holiday dedicated to encouraging Americans to register to vote in local and national elections. There are many ways organizations remind people about voter registration. One way is through the mail! This stamp from 1964 reminded people daily to register as they go through their mail. Due to high demand, the Post Office Department significantly increased the stamp supply. It was so successful that the post office reprinted the stamp during the midterm elections two years later. You can learn more about this stamp and more with our National Postal Museum's new exhibition “Voting by Mail: Civil War to Covid-19 / Voto por Correo: De la Guerra Civil al Covid-19.” ??: This poster is in the collection of Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

National Youth Summit 2024 kicks off tomorrow! Have you registered yet? The National Youth Summit is made possible by the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation and the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation K–12 Learning Endowment. The summit’s Youth Leadership Team is supported by Youth Access Grant funds from the Smithsonian’s Together We Thrive initiative.

In the late 1960s, Irma C. Lerma Barbosa, an original Sacramento Brown Berets chapter member, designed and hand-sewed this flag. The organization was formed in response to the social inequities confronting ethnic Mexican communities and the need for community protection. Through this flag, Irma provided the working-class Chicana/o youth of Sacramento with a symbol of identity, unity, resistance, and power. The flag was proudly displayed during rallies, protests, and community celebrations, serving as an emblem of Mexican American civil rights history and of women's significant contributions to the long struggle for social justice, freedom, equality, and self-determination. #SmithsonianHHM

On our watch, no sequin gets left behind. ? Astrologer and television personality Walter Mercado kept viewers glued to their screens with his dramatic horoscope readings and daily positive affirmations for over 50 years. An icon of Spanish-language television, Mercado was unapologetically himself, bending norms around gender with his signature style. And that style often featured sparkles. Mercado often accessorized his embroidered suits with rings, bejeweled brooches, boots, and capes. Inspired by the flag of his beloved Puerto Rico, Mercado wore this cape to Puerto Rican Day parades. See our National Museum of the American Latino staff carefully install Mercado’s cape, in the collection of our Smithsonian National Museum of American History in "?Presente! A Latino History of the United States." As part of the Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future, we’re securing funds to preserve objects, like Mercado’s cape, that reveal important and inclusive histories. Your support helps us preserve every sparkle for future generations. Learn more about how you can get involved. https://lnkd.in/eukWq9cd #SmithsonianHHM #AmericanLatinoMuseum

Share the future. Shape the future. ?? Join us in driving curiosity and innovation as part of the Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future. Learn more about how you can support our work to build a better future for all. https://s.si.edu/4e1oItM

DUN DUN ?? Mariska Hargitay and series creator Dick Wolf (Wolf Entertainment) personally came to our Smithsonian National Museum of American History to donate a piece of Hargitay’s wardrobe from her iconic role as Olivia Benson in NBCUniversal's "Law & Order: SVU." The television series is the longest-running primetime, live-action series in American history. Hargitay and Wolf joined Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, Anthea M. Hartig, Ph.D, Elizabeth MacMillan Director, National Museum of American History, and curators Ryan Lintelman and Katherine Ott at the official donation ceremony on Monday, September 9.

On week five of our countdown to the 10th annual Food History Gala and Weekend (October 17-19), we are thinking about the fifth recipient of the Julia Child Award: chef, restaurateur, and global humanitarian, José Andrés. In 2019, the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts presented the award to Andrés and in his acceptance remarks, he spoke as a proud immigrant to the United States from Spain, addressing the importance of immigrants in American history and culture. Through World Central Kitchen, the organization he founded in 2010, Andrés became a leader in mobilizing local emergency kitchens to provide direct support to communities during crises around the globe. Andres’ commitment to immigrants and people in need resonated with the 2019 theme, “Power Through Food.” With support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, the food history team created programs that explored how women migrants and immigrants have created viable businesses that help support their communities through food entrepreneurship. The programs featured people from across the country who spoke about their food-related enterprises and described how they are contributing to the economic and social well-being of their families and communities. Andrés also donated objects and archival materials to the museum’s permanent collections in 2019. A sampling of these materials will be on public view this fall during an October 19 program, The Smithsonian Food History Collections: How Julia Child Awardees have helped build the national collection of objects and archives (11:30 am to 12:45 pm, Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West). Andrés will also speak at this year’s Food History Gala at the Museum on October 17, where chef, author, food activist, and restaurateur Alice Waters will receive the 10th Julia Child Award. To purchase tickets for the gala, please visit: https://s.si.edu/3yG9LxN ??: Chef Jose Andrés after receiving the Julia Child Award at the museum in 2019. ??: Vest worn by Jose Andrés during World Central Kitchen’s relief work in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017. The “I Am An Immigrant” T-shirt was also donated by Andrés.

After the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, first responders found camaraderie and comfort at Nino’s American Kitchen. The local restaurant transformed into a relief center, serving over 500,000 free meals over nine months to New York City’s front-line workers. This apron from Nino’s showcases the patches of different units who shared a meal or took a break at the restaurant. While the restaurant was just a few blocks away from Ground Zero, this apron represents departments from across the country who came to New York to help in the aftermath. Some of these units include Jefferson County Kentucky’s Emergency Medical Service, Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, and Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police. The apron is in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.