The National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) sponsored Opening Plenary for the 47th Annual Conference of the Association of African American Museums (AAAM)
We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For
With the fight to erase and obliterate African American history from public discourse underway, it is imperative that Black Museum practitioners be equipped to navigate the latest iteration of America’s ‘culture wars’ to continue preserving, illuminating, and expanding, historical narratives.
Thought leaders will share practical approaches to organizational activism and community-based advocacy through hyper-local, statewide, national, and international collaboration. Participants are invited to meet the moment through a collective commitment to continue advancing the best interest of the African American and African diasporic institutions represented within AAAM.
Moderator
Juanita Moore, President/CEO Emeritus of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
Juanita Moore is a professional with over 30 years of museum experience. She has served as a curator, educator, administrator and museum planner. Ms. Moore was the former president and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (Detroit, M.I.). Prior to this position, she served as executive director of the American Jazz Museum and the Gem Theater located in the 18th & Vine Historic District (Kansas City, M.O.).
Ms. Moore served as founding Executive Director of the National Civil Rights Museum (Memphis, T.N.). In that capacity, Ms. Moore oversaw the construction and opening of the museum located at the Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Prior to Memphis, Ms. Moore spent several years planning and subsequently opening the National African American Museum and Cultural Center (Wilberforce, OH). As a senior member of the planning team, she was pivotal in developing a strategy and concept for building a nationally donated collection.
Ms. Moore began her career with the Ohio Historical Society, where she served as the first African American curator. She also served as director of the Kuumba Na Nia Dance and Theatre Company.
Ms. Moore has served on numerous boards and committees, including:
President, The African American Museums Association
Board Member, American Alliance of Museums
Board Member, The American Association of State and Local History
Ms. Moore is the proud parent of one adult daughter, Shalewa Moore.
Panelists
Dr. Monique M. Chism is the Smithsonian’s Under Secretary for Education and is responsible for establishing the Institution’s educational priorities. She oversees the Smithsonian’s collective initiatives, communication strategies and funding for programs with the goal of bringing the Smithsonian into every classroom in America. Chism is an accomplished and transformative leader with an extensive background in education. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this role. Her interdisciplinary training in history, sociology and education provides her with a unique perspective that focuses on the intersections of ideas, theories and approaches to support collaboration. Chism’s experience as a former teacher, state education administrator and federal education policymaker gives her a diverse lens and a deep understanding of the education landscape.
Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, teaches history at Carnegie Mellon University and serves as Director of the Dietrich College
Humanities Center. She has written extensively about the transnational history of West African rice farmers, including in such works as Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora. She was a co-editor of Rice: Global Networks and New Histories, which was selected as a ChoiceOutstanding Academic Title. Fields-Black consulted for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture’s permanent exhibit, “Rice Fields in the Low Country of South Carolina.” She is the executive producer and librettist of “Unburied, Unmourned, Unmarked: Requiem for Rice,” a widely performed original contemporary classical work by celebrated composer John Wineglass.
Dr. Jason Johnson is a professor, political analyst and public speaker. Fresh, unflappable, objective, he is known for his ability to break down stories with wit and candor. Johnson is the author the book Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell, a tenured professor in the School of Global Journalism & Communication at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland and Politics Editor at TheRoot.com. Dr. Johnson has an extensive public speaking and media background ranging from pop culture to politics.
Brandon Wilson, APR, is president and CEO of Wilbron — an award-winning public relations and management consultancy company. Wilbron is responsible for helping Apollo Global Management establish its $100 million corporate foundation — the Apollo Opportunity Foundation — and was instrumental in helping Ares Management and Oaktree Capital Management scale AltFinance, a program that prepares Black college students for success in the alternative investment industry. Wilbron is currently working with Apple to build a $100 million campus of innovation for historically Black colleges and universities in Atlanta.