By April Ryan
Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
BlackPressUSA NEWSWIRE – In an update to the BlackPressUSA exclusive on the lunch counter exhibit at the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, the Smithsonian now says the display will remain at what is affectionately called the “Blacksonian.”
The exhibit includes original artifacts from the 1960s Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in in Greensboro, N.C. The Smithsonian issued a statement saying that reports suggesting the exhibits were being removed – particularly for political reasons – were “inaccurate.”
“The National Museum of African American History and Culture has two Greensboro counter stools in our collection. Since the opening, one stool has always been and continues to be on display,” Smithsonian officials said.
The history behind the exhibit stems from an incident during which four Black male students from North Carolina A&T were denied service at Woolworth’s counter and subsequently brutally attacked after sitting at the Whites-only counter. The students refused to leave, and their defiance ignited a wave of lunch counter sit-ins across the South and became a major flashpoint in the Civil Rights Movement.
In its statement, the Smithsonian Institution also clarifies that the original lunch counter is currently on display at the National Museum of American History, where it has been for many years.
“Recent claims that objects have been removed for reasons other than adherence to standard loan agreements or museum practices are false,” the statement read. “As the steward of our nation’s treasures and history, the Smithsonian preserves and protects all objects and artifacts in its collection to ensure their long-term conservation and to safeguard them for future generations.”
The statement was issued amid furor stirred by a BlackPressUSA exclusive – sourced from authorities close to the issue – warning that artifacts of Black resistance movements were being removed from the museum. That story was published in the wake of the White House’s issuance of an executive order that accused the Smithsonian Institution – and particularly the NMAAHC– of promoting “improper ideology.” The order also placed Vice President JD Vance on the Smithsonian’s board and empowered him to scrutinize the institution’s portrayal of American history.
Read the Smithsonian’s full statement here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/statement-smithsonian-collection-items.