The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture marked its 10th anniversary with a four-day “Welcome Home” program and celebrations that highlighted the museum’s role as a cultural refuge. The institution has welcomed roughly 14 million visitors since opening in 2016, grown a permanent collection to more than 45,000 objects, and drawn over 65 million visits to its digital Searchable Museum. Despite federal reviews and recent leadership changes, staff say the museum remains focused on its mission; anniversary events included new exhibitions, international touring shows, and special public programs.
10 Years On, the 'Blacksonian' Feels Like Home: NMAAHC Marks a Decade on the National Mall
An exterior view of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump released an executive order on March 27 that threatened funding for the museum due to its "race-centered ideology". The executive order stated that the museums exhibits are a "concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation's history." (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture celebrated its 10th anniversary on Sept. 24 with a four-day homecoming-themed program that underscored the museum’s role as a cultural refuge and gathering place for millions.
A milestone moment
Earlier this month, a young woman who had saved a visit to Washington, D.C., to celebrate her birthday discovered she was the museum’s 14 millionth visitor. Michelle Commander, the museum’s deputy director, described the scene: “There was a lot of celebration of her, gift giving, and picture taking, and she was just thrilled. We were all basically in tears just seeing her reaction to that moment.” That reaction, Commander said, captures what the institution—affectionately known as the “Blacksonian”—has become for many: a place of pilgrimage and a sense of home.
A visitor browses an exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on August 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Trump Administration will review exhibition contents of 18 Smithsonian museums to reflect "unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story" ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Ten years of growth and reach
Since opening on the National Mall in 2016, NMAAHC has welcomed roughly 14 million visitors and built a broad cultural footprint. Its permanent collection now exceeds 45,000 objects; the digital Searchable Museum has recorded more than 65 million visits; and the museum’s social channels have generated approximately 897 million impressions. The institution has also received over 100 national and international awards and hosted major cultural moments—from music festivals on the Mall to film premieres such as Netflix’s Descendant.
Challenges and steadiness
The anniversary arrives amid intense public debate about how American history should be presented. Over the past year, the federal administration initiated reviews of several Smithsonian museums, including NMAAHC, examining exhibitions, education materials and other public-facing content. An executive order issued in March described some exhibits as promoting a “race-centered ideology” and threatened funding tied to how history is represented.
Visitors walk through The Contemplative Court at the National Museum of African American History and Culture on March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump released an executive order on March 27 that threatened funding for the museum due to its "race-centered ideology". The executive order stated that the museums exhibits are a "concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation's history." (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Those external pressures coincided with leadership changes: Kevin Young, who succeeded founding director Lonnie Bunch III in 2021, went on personal leave in March 2025 and stepped down the following month. Bunch, who became the Smithsonian’s first Black secretary in 2019, has spent much of the year defending the institution’s independence and announced plans to retire at year-end after nearly four decades with the Smithsonian. Despite these shifts, Commander said staff remained focused on the museum’s core mission as their “North Star.”
Exhibitions and programming
The anniversary program, called “The Reunion,” featured new art exhibitions—Revelation: A Journey into Abstraction and Reset: Abstraction Embodied in Design—plus family programs and public events. Highlights included a conversation between Lonnie Bunch III and CNN’s Laura Coates, the Purple Ball: Echoes of the Pearl at The Wharf (honoring the 77 freedom seekers from the schooner Pearl), and a free “Violet Vibes” concert at The Wharf featuring a rare performance by The Roots.
Work that began at NMAAHC is also traveling internationally. “In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World,” which premiered at the museum, has appeared in Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town and will travel next to Dakar, Senegal, in January 2027 and Liverpool in January 2028.
Looking ahead
“If you’ve ever loved someone, if you’ve ever struggled for something individually and felt that yearning for something to be better in your life, you can find yourself here,”
Commander said. The museum’s tenth anniversary was framed not only as a celebration of accomplishments—collections, awards, and audiences—but as a moment to reaffirm its mission to tell truthful, human-centered stories of African American history and culture.
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