Q & A: Curating African American History for the Nation

Like the stories of struggle and resilience it will tell, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has endured its own struggle, but it is finally starting to emerge.

In 2003, Congress authorized legislation to create a national museum devoted solely to the documentation of African American history and culture. Recently, the Smithsonian Institution named Lonnie G. Bunch as the first director of the museum.

A native of Newark, N.J., Bunch, 52, earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from American University in American and African American history. He was the founding curator of the California African American Museum in Los Angeles before serving an 11-year stint at the Smithsonian. In 2001, Bunch was named president of the Chicago Historical Society.

Bunch begins his tenure as director of the new national African American museum in July. He recently spoke with The Crisis about the challenges he faces in creating a museum that will reflect the life, art, history and culture of African American people.

How did you become interested in museums?

My grandfather would read to me and one day he said, 'Isn't it amazing that someone could live, die and all it says is anonymous?' I was always struck by photographs. I wanted to know about the people - were they treated fairly? Were they happy? I want to make sure the stories of the anonymous are remembered in our museums.

How do you plan to formulate the mission for the museum?

You have decades of good scholarship on African American culture and history that we can draw from. My job is to tap all the resources that are out there [and] allow people to help shape what should be one of the most important museums created in the last couple of decades.

What are your challenges?

It's a challenge to create any museum, [but] to conceptualize a museum that is firmly grounded in a particular culture and make that appeal strong for all Americans is a conceptual challenge. Then there's the challenge of fundraising. It needs to be something that a variety of communities embrace.

Has a timeline been established as to when the museum will open?

It's really hard to create a timeline. First of all, we have to figure out where the site is, which will then determine what the building can be, which will then determine cost, which will then determine [the] timeline.

How have you been able to absorb this responsibility?

In some ways, so much of my career has pushed me to this moment. It's always humbling when you're a historian and you hold people's culture in your hand. But [to] also create a major national museum that's part of the Smithsonian is really something I never thought I would have a chance to do.

The African American story is complex. How do you plan to make sure there is nothing left out?

There's no way one place can tell every aspect of African American history, but I think looking at it as a partner with a lot of other institutions you'll be able to make sure people get a sense of the richness and diversity of the story.

- Betsy Adeboyejo

Copyright Crisis Publishing Company, Incorporated May/Jun 2005
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