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Cause Magazine


America I AM


The African American Imprint


a country move forward with hope. And only by fully under- standing the choices of the past can we make better choices for the future.” Tavis Smiley, who is largely responsible for organizing and presenting the exhibition said, “As Americans, we all want to live in a nation as good as its promise. This exhibition essentially tells the role that African Americans have played to make real the promise of American democracy.” In his opening announcement Smiley also pointed out that “Given its historic role in America’s back story, there is no better place to premiere this exhibit than the city of Philadelphia.” The City’s Mayor Michael Nutter agreed adding that, “Philadelphia boasts a long list of firsts and prestigious events in our nation’s history…The debut of ‘America I AM’ at the National Constitution Center is yet another benchmark moment for the city, and we are proud to host this extraordinary exhibition.”


The venue itself is also appropriate. The National Constitution Center located on Independence Mall, is an inde- pendent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents. The Center itself serves as a museum, an education center, and a forum for debate on consti- tutional issues. The museum dramatically tells the story of the Constitution from Revolutionary times to the present through more than 100 interactive, multimedia exhibits, film, photo- graphs, text, sculpture and artifacts. The Center is dedicated to


telling the story of ‘We the People’ in ways that inspire visitors to become active citizens. It is hoped that this special exhibition will further inspire all Americans to engage in an important cultural and historical dialogue.” “America I AM” 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. Taking its inspiration from the famous question posed by W.E.B Du Bois in 1903, “Would America have been America without her Negro people?” The exhibit functions as a time machine to illustrate the significant contributions African Americans have made. And it is designed to highlight several of the major


imprints that African Americans have made in shaping our lives, history and culture.


Upon entrance to the exhibit, the majestic main gallery show-


cases key African American milestones, historic figures and a short video that provokes viewers to ponder DuBois’ question. Then each of the twelve galleries which follow present their own thematic and theater experiences, which collectively convey a jour- ney from struggle to triumph to celebration. The exhibit features more than 150 artifacts culled from every period of U.S. history, and include objects, texts, compelling photographs, music, narra- tion, video and other media. An interactive component of the exhibition even allows visitors to leave their own video “imprints,” and this collection will grow throughout the life of the exhibit to become the largest recorded oral history project in U.S. history.


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