Our first full day here, Feb. 15th, President and Sister Johnson took the office staff, fourteen in all at that time, to the new Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in Sept. 2016. It is near the Washington Monument. It is a massive building and looks very impressive. There are hundreds of collections, which cover the entire history of African Americans.
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| Smithsonian African American Museum, Washington D.C. |
Manacles worn by slaves.
Harriet Tubman's hymnal.
Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves.
Dress worn by Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat to a white man.
Louis Armstrong's trumpet.
And, my favorite,
Nine of the ten Olympic medals won by Jesse Owens. The first medal he won he buried with his father, whom he credited with his success. I took a picture and then somehow lost it.
There were hundreds of items and pictures and videos covering slavery, culture, music, sports, politics, war, and so much more. It was enlightening and educational, and we would love to go back. Much of it was very sad, moving, and inspirational. Greg really liked the exhibit on the history of black soldiers in the United States. It showed a picture of every black soldier in WW II that earned the highest and most prestigious military decoration, the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty." There were 87-88 pictures.
We did not have tickets, but Sister Johnson said she had prayed that morning that we would be able to get in and because, as President Johnson says, "The Lord sure loves the Washington DC North Mission", we did!
Frederick, Maryland
We took a half hour drive to Frederick, MD on a Saturday. Because of it's location, slaves escaped through Frederick to join the Union Army during the Civil War and a ton more history, too much to write here. It has a really hip shopping area and an area of extremely old buildings that is a hip shopping area too. Lots of old buildings and churches. It was a fun day.
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| Frederick, MD |
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| Frederick, MD |
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| Frederick, MD |
