We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC

I am delighted to celebrate We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC presented by the National Women’s History Museum at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington DC.

As project manager and exhibition developer, my job was to help the museum navigate the process of creating their very first physical exhibition from beginning to end. From writing the RFP for the exhibition designers, to coordinating weekly team meetings, editing exhibition text, and acquiring exhibition images, I worked closely with the curators, designers from Tesselate Studio, media designers Blue Telescope and the museum team to create a meaningful and engaging experience in a non-traditional gallery space — the front corner of Mies van der Rohe’s MLK Public Library in DC. The exhibition faced a few challenges — bright overhead lights that never turned off, a floor-to-ceiling windows, an unpredictable audience, and a vendor hiccup (that meant calling in a favor with long-time collaborator Visual Print Solutions to save the day) — but we overcame them to create a truly beautiful and unconventional exhibition.

The exhibition tells an important story about Black feminists — from Anna Julia Cooper to Eleanor Holmes Norton — who fought against sexism, racism, and other forms of oppression to uplift themselves, their communities, and women everywhere.

The story is told through large-scale imagery, biographies, and writings by the women featured in the exhibition, interactives (two hands-on and two digital), and an introductory video by Oprah!

We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC will be on view through Fall 2024 — I hope you get a chance to see it!

You can also explore the exhibition online here.

Here are some photos of the exhibition:

Selected Press:

“The exhibit draws the line from women born into slavery all the way to Vice President Harris”

“These mothers of Black Feminism had one big thing in common — DC.” by Petula Dvorak, The Washington Post, March 30, 2023

Dvorak explains exactly why exploring the history of Black Feminism in the nation’s capital is so important, and gives background on the National Women’s History Museum.

Read the article.

“The National Women’s History Museum is set on making sure we all understand the history and power of Black Feminist.”

“How Black Freedom Is Linked to Black Feminism” by Marybeth Gasman, Forbes, March 21, 2023

Marybeth Gasman explores the themes and issues of the exhibition and the way it, “tells the story of the profound impact of Black Feminists on society, policy, and everyday lives.”

Read the article.

“National Women’s History Museum Unveils New Exhibit”

Fox 5 DC, March 29, 2023

I show Fox 5’s Gwen Tolbart around the exhibition in a series of live shots from the opening day.

Watch the video.