As I write, the federal government remains shut down, and with it, the Smithsonian and its numerous museums.
I suspect, however, that many in the executive branch aren’t losing sleep over a lack of access to publicly funded, rich, beautiful histories ranging from natural sciences to African American history. In the past year, the Trump administration has demanded those museums shape their presentation to his preferences, cut funding to these institutions, and lambasted the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in particular.
Amid these attacks on a truthful telling of history, I spoke to Harry Singleton III, the faith-based director of the International African American Museum, to understand how a liberation theologian approaches the task of museum work. Singleton is the son of a Baptist minister; a native of South Carolina, where the museum is located; and a scholar who spent most of his time in academia before transitioning to the museum in June.
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