Power of Place

This exhibition explores the idea of place and region as a crucial component of the African American experience through an interactive multimedia area called the Hometown Hub, where visitors can engage with stories about migration and other themes.

Surrounding the hub are case studies of places in the U.S. illustrating the distinct flavor and experience of each. These place studies contain a mix of diverse stories—well-known and unknown; mainstream and edgy; celebratory and challenging.

The following areas are highlighted:

• Chicago: Black urban life and the home of the Chicago Defender newspaper
• Oak Bluffs:, Massachusetts leisure in Martha’s Vineyard
• Tulsa, Oklahoma: Black Wall Street and the story of the riot and rebirth
• South Carolina’s low country: life in the rice fields
• Greenville, Mississippi: images of segregated Mississippi through the lens of photo studios
• Bronx, New York: the birthplace of hip-hop