ART – America I Am: The African American Imprint

Posted by Sanaa on Mar 13, 2009 in Art & Culture | Comments Off

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia proudly hosts the world debut of the America I AM: The African American Imprint exhibition, celebrating nearly 500 years of African American contributions to our country. The four-year touring museum exhibition opens on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth date on January 15, 2009, and runs through May 3, 2009.

The 15,000 square foot exhibition presents a historical continuum of pivotal moments in courage, conviction, and creativity that solidifies the undeniable imprint of African Americans across the nation and around the world. It provides context to how African Americans have contributed to and shaped American culture across four core areas: economic, socio-political, cultural, and spiritual, up to present-day events, including the inauguration of the first African American president.

• “The Doors of No Return” from the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, which enslaved Africans passed through to board ships to the “New World”
• The typewriter Alex Haley used to write the groundbreaking book, Roots
• A first edition of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• Objects representing the African American troops that fought and impacted the outcome of major U.S. wars
• Malcolm X’s diary and personal Koran
• The door key and stool from the Birmingham jail cell that held Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he authored his infamous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
• Frederick Douglass’ clothing and letter from President Lincoln that was designed to protect him from harassment as he moved about the nation’s capital campaigning for African American rights
• The robe that Muhammad Ali wore during the “Rumble in the Jungle,” where he defeated world heavyweight champion George Foreman
• And many other important items from the beginnings of our nation through contemporary popular culture.

National Constitution Center
525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106