The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum documents and interprets the effect of historical and contemporary social and cultural issues on communities. Established in 1967 as the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, it served first as a Smithsonian outreach museum situated in one of the District of Columbia’s largely African American neighborhoods and later evolved into a museum documenting, preserving and interpreting African American history from local and community history perspectives.

In 2006, the name of the institution was changed to the Anacostia Community Museum to reflect the expansion from ethnic themes and issues to broader cultural issues that resonate within communities worldwide.

The mission of the Anacostia Museum is to challenege perceptions, broaden perspectives, generate new knowledge, and deepen understanding about the ever-changing concepts and realities of "community."

Special Inaugural Weekend Activities