Jesse Owens (1913-1980) was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history." He achieved international fame at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, by winning four gold medals: 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay, and as a black American man, publically rebuked Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy.
The Sports: Leveling the Playing Field exhibit, part of the Community Galleries on the third floor of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, explores the contributions of athletes, both on and off the field. Because sports were among the first and most high-profile organizations to accept African Americans on terms of relative equality, sports have a unique role in American culture.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), administered by the Smithsonian Institute, was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in September 2016. The 350,000-square-foot, 10-story (five above and five below ground) was built to the postmodern design of Phil Freelon's Freelon Group, Sir David Adjaye's Adjaye Associates and Davis Brody Bond. The above ground floors feature an inverted step pyramid surrounded by a bronze architectural scrim, which reflects a crown used in Yoruba culture. With more than 40,000 objects in its collection, although only about 3,500 items are on display, the NMAAHC is the world's largest museum dedicated to African-American history and culture.
The Smithsonian Institution, an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines, was established in 1846. Although concentrated in Washington DC, its collection of over 136 million items is spread through 19 museums, a zoo, and nine research centers from New York to Panama.
The Sports: Leveling the Playing Field exhibit, part of the Community Galleries on the third floor of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, explores the contributions of athletes, both on and off the field. Because sports were among the first and most high-profile organizations to accept African Americans on terms of relative equality, sports have a unique role in American culture.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), administered by the Smithsonian Institute, was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in September 2016. The 350,000-square-foot, 10-story (five above and five below ground) was built to the postmodern design of Phil Freelon's Freelon Group, Sir David Adjaye's Adjaye Associates and Davis Brody Bond. The above ground floors feature an inverted step pyramid surrounded by a bronze architectural scrim, which reflects a crown used in Yoruba culture. With more than 40,000 objects in its collection, although only about 3,500 items are on display, the NMAAHC is the world's largest museum dedicated to African-American history and culture.
The Smithsonian Institution, an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines, was established in 1846. Although concentrated in Washington DC, its collection of over 136 million items is spread through 19 museums, a zoo, and nine research centers from New York to Panama.
