WASHINGTON — While COVID has forced the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum to keep its doors closed, its work has not stopped by providing an exhibit honoring groundbreaking Black men to the street in front of the museum.
The “Men of Change” exhibit features the stories of pathbreaking Black men. A diverse group that spans generations is honored... including James Baldwin, Duke Ellington, Martin Luther King Jr. and many more.
David Smith, who traces his family roots back through four generations of DC locals, helped bring the project to his Deanwood neighborhood
“These images give us an opportunity for the next generation to start with a place where if they fall, they fall to greatness,” said David Smith of the museum project. “Those are the kind of men that are in the exhibit and just to be associated with men that had the fortitude and the courage to stand on what they believed in, I think is the most powerful thing that our young people can see.”
Anacostia Community Museum’s director of education Andrea Jones hopes visitors learn an important lesson from the Men of Change.
“Everybody has something in them to make a difference, to leverage the power that they have, and to speak the truth,” said Jones.
For Smith, these images highlight that power... and offer a reminder of all the sacrifices made to exercise it.
“It's really critical for images like this to be shared in our community so our--people in our community can connect to their own legacy and how we participated and made a contribution to a lot of the freedoms that we enjoy as Americans.”
You can find the Men of Change exhibit near the Deanwood Recreation Center. It's open 24 hours a day and free to visit.