The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will host a wide range of programming in November on topics including the Reconstruction era following the end of the Civil War, the impact of Mary McLeod Bethune and Black women activists and new practices in African American religion and spirituality.
A brand-new conference — FORWARD: Religions Envisioning Change — launches Nov. 1, featuring films, panel discussions, book talks, concerts and more.
Most of the museum’s events are free but registration is required for all.
FORWARD: Religions Envisioning Change, Nov. 1-3
The FORWARD conference is a new biennial event exploring the current and future shape of Black religions through films, panel discussions, literature and music. The public is invited to join the conference’s advisory council members, museum professionals, religious leaders and scholars for deep discussions of Black America’s issues.
Conference Schedule
Film Screenings
Friday, Nov. 1, 3 p.m.–6 p.m.
NMAAHC, Oprah Winfrey Theater
A screening of short films explores the vastness of the African American religious experience. The filmmakers will be available for post-screening discussions.
Screening of the Film gOD Talk
Friday, Nov. 1, 6:15 p.m.–9:45 p.m.
NMAAHC, Oprah Winfrey Theater
The feature-length film, gOD Talk will be screened. This film is the culmination of a five-year study of seven Black millennials — of atheist, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Ifa and Spiritualist beliefs — and the challenges and discoveries with faith and spirituality. It was produced by the museum and its Center for the Study of African American Religious Life (CSAARL), in association with the Pew Research Center.
Plenary Sessions I–III
Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building
Plenary Session I: Look Back, moderated by Rev. Brandon Crowley
Sexuality and the Black Church @ 25: In Conversation with Rev. Kelly Brown Douglass
Plenary Session II: Look Now! Moderated by Erika Gault, director of CSAARL
Toward New Suns: Afrofuturism, Technology, and Octavia Butler in the Year 2024, in conversation with Joy Buolamwini and Safiya Noble
Plenary Session III: Look Forward
Religions Envisioning Change in conversation with members of the CSAARL advisory council
Concurrent Papers and Short-Film Screenings
Sunday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building
Presented by CSAARL and the museum’s Center for African American Media Arts
Plenary Session IV
Sunday, Nov. 3, 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Smithsonian’s Arts and Industry Building
Free ’Em All: Islam, Black Faith and the Case for Abolition with Marc Lamont Hill. Moderated by Su’ad Khabeer. Additional panelists are Jihad Abdulmumit, Kareemah Hanifa and Ilyasah Shabazz.
NMAAHC Kids Connect: Thankful To Be Me!
Thursdays, Nov. 7, 14 and 21, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Fourth floor
Kids can connect with history and culture through art and play at the museum. This month, they can learn about the many ways to express their unique identities and celebrate what makes “you YOU” with a special project and reading corner. Designed for children ages 3–8 years.
Educator Book Talk: Freedom Was in Sight: Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C., Region by Dr. Kate Masur
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m.–8:15 p.m.
Oprah Winfrey Theater
The end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery deeply affected U.S. society and the economy. Newly freed African Americans faced opportunities to build their lives in freedom. Kate Masur’s new graphic history shows how the enslavers’ grip on power was loosened and the various ways that Black people sought freedom.
Grounded in the history of Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region, the book challenges Reconstruction’s conventional endpoint of 1877 and spotlights well-known and lesser-known people who worked to empower the Black community during this period.
Historically Speaking: A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McCleod Bethune
Thursday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.–8 p.m.
Oprah Winfrey Theater and streaming
Join leading public historian and Brown University professor, Noliwe Rooks, for a talk about her comprehensive biography of Mary McCleod Bethune and Bethune’s role as an educator, activist, presidential advisor, and founder of Bethune-Cookman Institute in Daytona Beach Florida.
Social Justice Conversations: Intergenerational Reflections on Activism
Sunday, Nov. 17, 3 p.m.–5 p.m. ET
Oprah Winfrey Theater and streaming
The Social Justice Conversations Oral History Project is an intergenerational initiative that aims to capture the stories and reflections of elder social justice activists and foster connections between them and the next generation of activists and scholars. This special program will include exclusive clips from these interviews as well as dynamic intergenerational panel discussions with project participants.
Among the panelists featured are esteemed social justice veterans, including Joyce Ladner, W. Paul Coates and Frank Smith.
“Forces for Change: Mary McLeod Bethune and Black Women’s Activism”
In July, the museum opened an exhibition exploring the life and impact of Mary McLeod Bethune. It features 75 images, 35 artifacts, a multimedia film, an interactive engagement and an 8-foot-tall plaster sculpture of Bethune. More information on the exhibition is available on the museum’s website.
For more information about the museum, go to nmaahc.si.edu, follow @NMAAHC on X, Facebook and Instagram or call Smithsonian information at 202-633-1000.