20th Anniversary Exhibit
opens May 20, 2008

Why is it important to develop our understanding of racism? Why should we rethink racism? The ways we have come to understand race and racism have changed.  We have learned that there are no biological markers of race, only societal. We have defined race as a "social construct".

Looking at racism as a global phenomenon, the exhibit uses text, images and video, to explain the past, present and possible future of the notions of race and racism, challenging visitors to rethink their assumptions about both concepts.

Sponsored by:

20th Anniversary Event Line Up 

All events will take place at ABHM and are free with museum admission unless otherwise noted.

The N-Word: Divided We Stand
Saturday, May 24th @ 2pm (85 min)

A documentary look at the cultural significance of the weighty, historically volatile "n word," this program features interviews with a variety of cultural figures. The film examines the history of the word and its uses, which range from a term of endearment to an abhorrent insult, as well as the personal experiences of many people. This documentary contains strong language and a few suggestive images.  Recommended age is 17+.

Ethnic Notions
Saturday, May 31st @ 2pm (56 min)

Ethnic Notions is Marlon Riggs' Emmy-winning documentary that takes viewers on a disturbing voyage through American history, tracing for the first time the deep-rooted stereotypes which have fueled anti-black prejudice. Through these images we can begin to understand the evolution of racial consciousness in America .

Race - The Power of an Illusion
(A three part series)

Part 1: The Difference Between Us
Saturday, June 7th @ 2pm (56 min)

The film examines the contemporary science - including genetics - that challenges our common sense assumptions that human beings can be bundled into three or four fundamentally different groups according to their physical traits.

Part 2: The Story We Tell
Saturday, June 14th @ 2pm (56 min)

The film uncovers the roots of the race concept in North America , the 19th century science that legitimated it, and how it came to be held so fiercely in the western imagination. The episode is an eye-opening tale of how race served to rationalize, even justify, American social inequalities as "natural."

Part 3: The House We Live In
Saturday, June 21st @ 2pm (56 min)

The film asks, If race is not biology, what is it? This episode uncovers how race resides not in nature but in politics, economics and culture. It reveals how our social institutions "make" race by disproportionately channeling resources, power, status and wealth to white people.

20th Anniversary Celebration
Thursday, June 19th @ 2pm

Free Admission from 2pm-5pm

Distinguished Lecturer Series:
Dr. Barnor Hesse
Northwestern University Professor
of African American Studies

Saturday, June 28th @ 2pm

Dr. Hesse will deliver a lecture titled Euro-Centric or Euro-Colonial?: The Repressed History of Racism. The lecture will be in conjunction with the 20th Anniversary Exhibit, Rethinking Racism. Admission to lecture is free and open to the public, but we ask a donation of $3 for students and $5 for adults.

“Rethinking Racism” made possible by: