Resources for Conversations that Matter
Collaborating with a robust network of organizations, as stated in our SITES | Smithsonian Affiliations strategic plan, has a cumulative and sustained impact on the audiences and communities we serve. Fostering conversations on questions that matter to communities is part of implementing our goal of advancing inclusion and committing to revisiting and expanding the narratives we share. We are committed to elevating and celebrating diverse experiences, voices and perspectives across all of our work and the work of our collaborators.
Below are some resources that the Smithsonian and our Smithsonian Affiliates have developed to catalyze these conversations. As always, the Institution is committed to collaborations and conversations that, in the words of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, “challenge the nation to live up to its founding ideals.”
Do you have resources to share? We invite Affiliates to share your resources, and use our network to learn with and from each other, and with us. Submit your Affiliate resources on this form.
Conversation Spotlight
LGBTQ+ Resources
Project Pride, a pan-Institutional collection of Smithsonian resources
LGBTQ History at the National Museum of American History
Virtual Scholar’s Talk featuring Katherine Ott, curator and historian at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, discussing her work curating the exhibition “Illegal to Be You: Gay History Beyond Stonewall.”
Resource Library
Juneteenth
Join the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Juneteenth celebration throughout the month of June and embrace the rich history of Freedom Day each week. Museum resources include:
- Juneteenth Digital Toolkit
- A Juneteenth Reading List
- Search the Freedmen’s Bureau portal for a variety of topics related to slavery and Reconstruction
Talking About Race
Standing Together Against Hate, educational resources and direct learning opportunities from across the Smithsonian Institution.
158 Resources to Understand Racism in America from Smithsonian magazine
Talking about race, developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
Standing Together Against Hate, educational resources and direct learning opportunities from across the Smithsonian Institution.
Standing Together Against Xenophobia developed by the Asian Pacific American Center
Viral Histories, a program by the National Museum of American History
We Are Not A Stereotype
A video series for educators, by educators, from the Asian Pacific American Center.
Come Through: Asian Pacific American Voices at the Smithsonian, a five-part video series exploring the rich tapestry of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage through the lens of museum objects, from the National Museum of American History.
Transracial Adoption Series:
Life on a Sustainable Planet
Smithsonian Science for Global Goals, providing youth ages 8-17 around the world with the knowledge and skills to understand the world’s most pressing issues.
Virtual Earth Optimism Lectures from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Earth Optimism Youth Action and Leadership Smithsonian Learning Lab collection presenting strategies, quotes and mentoring advice from active student action projects underway nationwide.
Women’s History
Latinas Talk Latinas: This YouTube playlist will help you learn about the lives of 10 Latinas who have shaped the United States in diverse ways, from the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of the American Latino.
Prototype Online: Innovative Voices features the stories of several female innovators and inventors (from the National Museum of American History):
- Patti McGee and Di Dootson Rose, Pioneering Skateboarders
- Madame C.J. Walker Had a Good Head for Hair Care, Part 1 and Part 2
Religion
OpenBook: Discovering American Jewish History Through Objects, from the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
The Center for the Understanding of Religion in American History at the National Museum of American History
Center for the Study of African American Religious Life at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Jesus’ Hair Like Wool: Black Messianic Representation in Art, History, and Media, an online exhibition from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Hispanic Heritage
Hispanic Heritage Month events, resources, exhibitions, and podcasts from across the Smithsonian.
Latino food and recipes from the National Museum of the American Latino.
Virtual Exhibitions from the National Museum of the American Latino:
Native American and Indigenous Culture
Americans: A Dialogue Toolkit for Educators developed by the National Museum of the American Indian
Photo ID: Portraits by Native Youth, an online exhibition from the Arizona State Museum (Tucson, AZ) that asks students to consider how we construct identity. More educational material from the museum to help learn about the Indigenous peoples of the region.
Native Knowledge 360° Education Initiative transforms teaching and learning about Native Americans.
Black History Month
Below is a selection of resources from our Smithsonian and Smithsonian Affiliate collaborators.
- For the Love of Money: Blacks on US Currency, Museum of American Finance (New York, NY). The exhibition highlights Black Americans who have been featured on tokens, coins, medals and medallions.
- Standing Up By Sitting Down, a resource for both students and educators from the National Civil Rights Museum (Memphis, TN)
- African American History in a Country Music Museum?, blog post from the Birthplace of Country Music (Bristol, VA)
