The African American story is central to our nation’s history, and thus forms a major part of the objects, archives, and collections held throughout the Smithsonian today. The contributions of African Americans in countless fields, along with materials documenting the struggles and achievements inherent to the African American story, can be found in the records of every museum. This image gallery represents some of the many Smithsonian collections documenting the significant work of African Americans throughout history.
Browse this digitized content by Object Type, Communities and Social Life, History and Social Change, People, and Music and Musicians. Exploring the categories and images below to learn more. To find out further information, or to explore even more related content, contact the museum or archival repository you are interested in, or search further on the main Collections Search Center page.