As crowds descended and the inauguration unfolded, a few museum curators in Washington kept watch for symbols and messages that would make history.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will open during President Barack Obama‘s second term, and one section will feature a large display about the first black president. Curators have been working since 2008 to gather objects, documents and images that capture his place in history.
Curator William Pretzer ventured into the crowd Monday, mostly looking for memorabilia that had a personal touch — beyond the T-shirts and buttons hawked by vendors. Pretzer was most interested in handmade items, but he didn’t find much.
“There’s so much commercially produced stuff that people don’t go to the trouble anymore,” he said. “It’s the personal expression, as opposed to the commercial” that the museum most wants to display.
Among the masses of people, Ollie Parham, 55, and her fellow travelers stood out in their bright yellow Alabama NAACPsweatshirts. She rode all night in a tour bus, nearly 19 hours from Huntsville, Ala., to witness Obama’s oath-taking.
Pretzer told her about the museum’s collection effort and asked whether Parham might donate any memorabilia later. She said she would think about it; she had another all-night drive home to get through first.
Shortly afterward, the curator stopped Larry Holmes, 56, of Washington, who was waving an American flag with an inauguration seal imprinted on the stripes. Holmes bought a similar souvenir flag at Obama’s 2009 inauguration. Pretzer took Holmes’ picture and handed him a donation card, in case he might donate the flags later.
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article courtesy of BlackAmericaWeb.com
