National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall is the only US national museum entirely devoted to African American history, culture and contribution. Authorised by Congress in 2003, it was opened by President Barack Obama on 24 September 2016. Architect David Adjaye's three-tiered bronze-cast corona references Yoruba caryatids and the wrought-iron craft of free Black ironworkers in New Orleans and Charleston. Across roughly 36,000 square metres it displays more than 40,000 objects, including a preserved slave cabin from Edisto Island, a shawl given to Harriet Tubman by Queen Victoria, Louis Armstrong's trumpet and a training jacket worn by Muhammad Ali. The History Galleries below grade trace events chronologically from the transatlantic slave trade to the Black Lives Matter era; the upper levels celebrate culture, sport and music. Admission is free; timed passes are required at peak times.