


Conversation: Fred Hampton,
Mother Akua Njeri,
Attorney James Montgomery,
Dr. Kim Dulaney
Lift Every Voice and Sing our National Hymn?
DuSable Museum Speaks with Jarrett Johnson and Alvin Chea
about their Grammy-nominated
A Capella version of the Black National Anthem
Lift Every Voice and Sing our National Hymn?
Musical and Dance Performances;
Interviews with artists, writers and Grammy-nominated performers;
Congratulatory Messages from Museum Professionals and Community Leaders;
Selections from the Museum’s acclaimed “Code Black” series;
An on-line look at some of the Museum’s current exhibitions;
…and a few surprises!

President and CEO

Karen Lewis
June 26, 1953 – February 7, 2021
The DuSable Museum of African American History salutes the late Karen Lewis, who served as the President of the Chicago Teachers Union from 2010 to 2014. Karen worked tirelessly to begin to significantly redefine and improve education in the Chicago Public Schools. She was committed to ensure, “the education our students deserve.”
Thank you, Ms. Tyson.

Cicely Tyson
December 19, 1924 – January 28, 2021
Cicely Tyson offers personal remarks upon receiving the Star of Stars award from the DuSable Museum of African American History for
her commitment to Black history and culture.

Honored at the DuSable Museum of African American History’s 2018 Gala

The Hill We Climb
By Amanda Gorman
When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We’ve braved the belly of the beast
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn’t always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it
Somehow we do it
Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn’t broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
And yes we are far from polished
far from pristine
but that doesn’t mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If we’re to live up to our own time
Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we’ve made
That is the promise to glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into
and how we repair it
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth
in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the windswept northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked south
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it
CODE BLACK: Black Agenda Items for the Biden/Harris Administration –
let’s keep the discussion going, send us comments:
The purpose of this discussion is to engage in focused deliberation towards the aim of identifying actionable asks that can serve as solutions to a couple of blatant and egregious injustices and inequities that African Americans face in the United States. We want to assist the incoming Presidential Administration in understanding the history, impact, and fact-based solutions to problems in the specific areas of police accountability which is an entry point for the issue of violence, education funding which includes student loan forgiveness/relief, and healthcare equity. We all are aware of the fact that there have been many Black Agendas, most contain the same century old broad demands. We want to operate under the belief that we are intelligent able-bodied participants in our fight for wellness in this land. We have been active and have gathered anecdotal experiences and researched facts that equip us to determine gaps, best practices, and relevant needs for ourselves and our communities.

Watch Virtual New Year’s Lounge Event:
http://www.von.tv/



THE DUSABLE MUSEUM
OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
740 EAST 56TH PLACE //
The March is an immersive exhibit featuring groundbreaking immersive technologies. It starts with an audio experience that teaches you about the beginnings of the civil rights movement. You are then invited to travel back in time via virtual reality to attend the 1963 March on Washington and witness firsthand the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. The March can accommodate four visitors at once; time slots must be booked in advance. Besides museum admission, there is no additional cost to attend.
TIME has also partnered with AI storytelling pioneer StoryFile to create an interactive video interview with a real civil rights activist. This installation is included with museum admission and does not require advance booking. #MarchOn
Notify me when THE MARCH re-opens
Experience Augmented Reality

First Chicago Museum with a fully functioning AR experience.
Download the app and immerse in the augmented Harold Washington Story.
Now available at the Apple and Google Play stores.
DuSable Museum is a participant in
MUSEUMS FOR ALL.










