Lonnie Bunch
Lonnie Bunch
Lonnie G. Bunch IIIis an American educator and historian. He has spent much of his career as a leading history museum curator and administrator. He is the founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Bunch previously served as director of the Chicago History Museumfrom 2000 to 2005...
culture legitimacy lens loss means message museum optimism shaped stories tension tragedy
There must be appropriate tension between stories of real pain, loss and tragedy with those of resiliency, optimism and hope, ... It must give those of the culture a real sense of legitimacy and possibility, but also be a museum that is a lens into what it means to be an American, with a message that all of us are shaped indelibly by this African-American experience.
reach support work
That support allows me to reach out and do the work we need to do.
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This is how to understand America. So having the Museum of African American History and Culture on the mall, surrounded by the other museums, will make African-American culture central to all Americans.
breaking design forward looking next soon step
It is too soon to think about breaking ground. The next step is design considerations. But we are looking forward to that day.
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Going past the '70s and '80s there was a great reliance on the celebrity, the movie star and the person who sold a million records. People would argue that Ebony didn't become the journal to discuss substantive and thorny issues.
blacks diversity experience increased jet visibility
Ebony and Jet increased the visibility of blacks and said that there is a diversity of experience in the black community. Not everyone is poor, and there are celebrities.
ancestors culture holding test
This is too important to fail, because it is holding a nation's--holding a people's--culture in my hands, ... My litmus test will be, Would my ancestors be happy?