S. Dillon Ripley Center
Smithsonian Stories: African American Groundbreakers
March 6, 2023 – Closed
Since the Smithsonian’s founding in 1846, African Americans have made major, but often unacknowledged, contributions to the Institution. From our first African American staff members, Solomon G. Brown, to our Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, African Americans have overcome challenges, broken barriers, and advanced our mission for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge.”
Zora Martin Felton, an education specialist, in her office at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, now known as the Anacostia Community Museum. Smithsonian Institution Archives, SIA-2003-19552.
