Citadels Of Knowledge

Libraries are citadels of knowledge and empathy—and they’ve played an extraordinarily important role in my life. I spoke with @SmithsonianSec Bunch about our shared love of books, A Promised Land, and the role storytelling plays in shaping our history. pic.twitter.com/jbWdAK7Zkp

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 29, 2021

Juneteenth: Freedom Day

"Juneteenth is a time to recommit ourselves to the work that remains undone. We remember that even in the darkest hours, there is cause to hope for tomorrow’s light."—@BarackObama, 2016 pic.twitter.com/WQ2C4QXLG3

— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) June 19, 2020

Harriet Tubman
Mother Freedom#Juneteenth pic.twitter.com/iI1DdcxJno

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) June 19, 2020

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A great way to celebrate #Juneteenth? Support Black women filmmakers like @cgpeoples - her film @Juneteenthmovie drops on digital today. A lovely film about mothers and daughters, dreams deferred and reclaiming our own liberation. #MissJuneteenth pic.twitter.com/sphrPshhlJ

— Rebecca Theodore-Vachon 🇭🇹 🇩🇴 🇺🇸 (@FilmFatale_NYC) June 19, 2020

#OTD in 1865, enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom by Union troops in Galveston Bay, TX—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Known as #Juneteenth, this day is widely celebrated as the end of chattel slavery in the U.S. #APeoplesJourney pic.twitter.com/banVoF49nl

— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) June 19, 2020

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Though it has long been celebrated among the African American community, it is a history that has been marginalized & still remains largely unknown to the wider public. The legacy of #Juneteenth shows the value of deep hope & urgent organizing in uncertain times. #APeoplesJourney pic.twitter.com/juqbpOGxYu

— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) June 19, 2020

Although the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control, some enslaved people would not be free until much later.

[BLOG] The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth: https://t.co/rUhEaMtM0J #APeoplesJourney

— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) June 19, 2020

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For more than 250,000 African Americans, June 19, 1865, signaled the final day of their enslavement. Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, Texas had yet to officially recognize the President’s executive order. #APeoplesJourney pic.twitter.com/1eZrAfElgv

— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) June 19, 2020

Not until Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX with 2,000 soldiers on June 19, 1865, did enslaved African Americans learn about their emancipation.

How do you and your community commemorate #Juneteenth? #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory pic.twitter.com/Guppu0hKZC

— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) June 19, 2020

The World Loves 44!

Obama’s portrait has been on display at the @NPG for six months and there’s still a line to see it. pic.twitter.com/VMisOoiYUt

— Emily Graslie 📺🦕🦖 (@Ehmee) September 23, 2018

August 28th

Tonight on OWN at 7PM EST/6PM CST

I was commissioned to create an installation about Black people in America by Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture. So I called my friends to make a film about a day that I’ve long held dear. August 28. It makes its broadcast debut tonight on OWN. pic.twitter.com/nugb9IkXMc

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 28, 2018

From the opening of @NMAAHC a couple of years ago. We gathered for the dedication ceremony by the last real President @BarackObama. It was a glorious day. Our film, AUGUST 28, plays daily at the museum. And for the first time broadcast, for one night only, tonight on OWN. pic.twitter.com/wLzk6aI718

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 28, 2018

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A few frames from the making of AUGUST 28: A Day In The Life Of A People. I was an African-American Studies major at UCLA hanging out in Leimert Park about 25 years ago when an elder told me about the little known importance of the day. I feel everyone should know about it. pic.twitter.com/ckW310tPSo

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 28, 2018

Tonight, watch @Ava's short-form film “August 28: A Day in the Life of a People” as it makes its television debut on OWN at 7p/6c. This is the story of six stunning historical moments in African American history that all occurred on August 28 in various years. pic.twitter.com/Bd8IlRnjKR

— Queen Sugar (@QueenSugarOWN) August 28, 2018

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August 28 marks a significant day in black history. So much so that director Ava DuVernay made it the focus of an orientation film for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Here are a few key events. (Photo: AP) pic.twitter.com/awEzvMn6Mm

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 28, 2018

August 28, 1833: Slavery was abolished in the U.K. and throughout the British empire. (Photo: Getty) pic.twitter.com/2UqQEvF1Je

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 28, 2018

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August 28, 1955: Emmett Till, 14, was brutally beaten and shot to death by white men in Mississippi. The trial around his death galvanized the civil rights movement. https://t.co/hScvHqiV5l (Photo: AP) pic.twitter.com/agXA10lxQ5

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 28, 2018

August 28, 1963: Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C., as the March on Washington became the largest civil rights demonstration the nation’s capital had ever seen. (Photo: AP) https://t.co/GOolbCNQdu #IHaveADream pic.twitter.com/MEDKYyqScl

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 28, 2018

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August 28, 2005: Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, and the resulting devastation disproportionately impacted black residents of New Orleans and surrounding areas. https://t.co/XnTnwHxPLM pic.twitter.com/6QdIufXL7i

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 28, 2018

August 28, 2008: Sen. Barack Obama became the first black man to win the nomination of a major party for president. https://t.co/0ZgmPqkaj8 (Source: @NMAAHC) pic.twitter.com/mxXFNCZ7jq

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 28, 2018

Queens

You Got That Right

My favorite headline EVER 😍 pic.twitter.com/s08S5u7w2r

— xannie the nanny (@AnnieMcCarren) March 20, 2018

World Leaders

This historic photo of two world leaders discussing their ideas is really inspiring pic.twitter.com/yU6MIhYWGB

— aggi (@agerenesh) March 6, 2018

An Awesome Dance Party

Parker, I'm so glad I had the chance to meet you today (and for the dance party)! Keep on dreaming big for yourself...and maybe one day I'll proudly look up at a portrait of you! pic.twitter.com/faUVTsYWun

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) March 6, 2018

They Matter. Always

The 1st image summarizes one of the reasons why the presidency of Barack Obama and the powerful presence of Michelle Obama matter to humanity, particularly to Black children. Never forget the 2nd image. Maybe it will heighten our understanding. pic.twitter.com/BkCEz3erlQ

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) March 3, 2018

‘Our Collective Imagination’

https://twitter.com/MsPackyetti/status/969716832562302976

Even when out of sight, the Obamas continue to leverage the collective imagination of the American people like no one else https://t.co/9lMuVKfF3H

— WIRED (@WIRED) March 1, 2018

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New from me: People Are Crying Over This Photo Of A Little Girl Staring At Michelle Obama's Portrait https://t.co/RMvAGdb1Qj

— David Mack (@davidmackau) March 2, 2018

I spoke to the guy who took this (instantly iconic) photo of a little girl staring at @MichelleObama's portrait: "It was so touching and uplifting for me to see this beautiful child looking at a beautiful portrait of a powerful woman." https://t.co/1PUY8Aau4K pic.twitter.com/kVpdBQERGO

— David Mack (@davidmackau) March 2, 2018

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Everyone, meet 2-year-old Parker Curry. "In the world we live in today, I'm just trying to raise a little girl who has opportunities to see women who look like her doing great things," her mom Jessica told me https://t.co/0gBu6FaHFF pic.twitter.com/FSr6Y8cTXc

— David Mack (@davidmackau) March 2, 2018