the smithsonian, was committed to the smithsonian, so it was an easy choice. we are at the housing museum part of the smithsonian, and lonnie bunche is the 14th secretary, the first african-american to be selected and the first historian. is that right? is right, and i am glad to be with you today. david: i will ask you tough questions anyway. now that you have been secretary for a while, has the job and as good as you thought it would be, and are you happy to have it? lonnie: no one knew what it was like about a pandemic, but the smithsonian is a collaborative museum and research center that does not always blend, but because of this pandemic, people have come together across lines with their creativity, scientists, historians, educators, so for me, i am really glad, because i am getting to see what the smithsonian does even in the most difficult of times when it comes together and brings creativity to bear. you do in terms of covid-19? the zoo and the 19 museums? lonnie: i realized that once we shut down the buildings, we need to the smithsonian to be operat

i assume not in the smithsonian? lonnie: a story that is a true story is my grandfather died the day before i turned five, and he would read to me, and he would read books, and one day, he was reading a book, and it had a picture of school children, and it was probably from the 1860's, and he said to me that the picture said "unidentified children," and then he said something i have never forgotten. he said, "isn't it a shame that people could live their lives , die, and be unidentified?" and that led me to want to understand what their lives look like, and i tried to imagine what were their jobs, were they happy, and it got me interested in history, so that was the first step. the second step was growing up in the town i grew up in, there were very few african-americans. in fact, i was the only african-american in my elementary school, and there were people who treated me horribly and others who treated me wonderfully, and i thought if i could understand the history of this town, maybe they would understand me. davi

it was clear he knew the smithsonian, he was committed to the smithsonian, his wife was with the smithsonian, so it was an easy choice. museum, and lonnie bunch is the 14th secretary of the smithsonian air you were the first african-american and the first historian. lonnie: that is right. david: i was the chairman of the smithsonian at one point. i'm still on the board, but i will ask tough questions anyway. lonnie: i appreciate that. david: is the job as good as you thought it would be and are you happy you would have it? lonnie: no one knew what it was like to lead during a pandemic. but what has happened as a result of that, i learned the wonders of the smithsonian when it comes together. it is a collaboration of museums and research centers. it doesn't always blend. because of the pandemic, people have come together across lines, scientists,tivity, historians, educators. so i am glad, because i get to see what the smithsonian does even the most difficult of times when it comes together and brings its creativity to bear. david: what did you do in terms of operating the zoo and the researc

he knew the smithsonian, he was committed to the smithsonian, so it was an easy choice. we are at the housing museum which is part of the smithsonian, and lonnie is the 14th secretary. you were the first african-american to be selected and the first historian, is that right? >> that's right, i'm very proud to be with you. host: i should disclose that i was the chairman and i'm still on the board but i will ask the tough questions anyway. lonnie: i appreciate that. host: is the job as good as you thought it was going to be? lonnie: no one knew what it was like to lead during a pandemic but what has happened as a result of that, i really learned the wonders of the smithsonian when it comes together. museums and research centers, and the do not always blend. but because of this pandemic, people have come together across lines, scientists, historians, educators. for me, i'm really glad because i'm getting to see what the smithsonian does even in the most difficult of times, when it comes together and brings its creativity to bear. david: what did you do in terms of operating

it was clear he knew the smithsonian, he was committed to the smithsonian, his wife was with the smithsonian, so it was an easy choice. we are at the museum, and lonnie bunch is the 14th secretary of the smithsonian air you were the first african-american and the first historian. lonnie: that is right. david: i was the chairman of the smithsonian at one point. i'm still on the board, but i will ask tough questions anyway. lonnie: i appreciate that. david: is the job as good as you thought it would be and are you happy you would have it? lonnie: no one knew what it was like to lead during a pandemic. but what has happened as a result of that, i learned the wonders of the smithsonian when it comes together. it is a collaboration of museums and research centers. it doesn't always blend. because of the pandemic, people have come together across lines, brought creativity, scientists, historians, educators. so i am glad, because i get to see what the smithsonian does even the most difficult of times when it comes together and brings its creativity to bear. david: what did you do in terms of operat

he knew the smithsonian, was committed to the smithsonian, his life was the smithsonian. so, it was an easy choice. we are at the housing museum part of the smithsonian, and lonnie bunch is the 14th secretary of the smithsonian. you were the african-american to first be selected and the first historian. is that right? lonnie: that is right, and i am very proud and glad to be with you today. david: i am still on the board of the smithsonian. i will ask you tough questions anyway. lonnie: i appreciate that. david: now that you have been secretary for a while, has the -- is the job as good as you thought it would be, and are you happy to have it? lonnie: no one knew what it was like about a pandemic, but the -- i learned the wonders of the smithsonian and it comes together. the smithsonian is a collaborative museum and research center that does not always blend, but because of this pandemic, people have come together across lines with their creativity, scientists, historians, educators. so, for me, i really glad, am because i am getting to see what the smithsonian does even

the bank of america has recently given the smithsonian $25 billion and the smithsonian is trying to raise another $25 million for $50 million to have a conversation and dialogue about race that will go throughout all the museums of the smithsonian, the 19 museums, but try to have a frank conversation about race at the smithsonian, but not just about smithsonian racial matters, but the entire country. no conversation will solve all racial problems. there is no doubt there will be racial discrimination for some time in this country. it is a beginning and it is an important beginning. anna: it is an important part of the conversation. how they managing to return to anything like normal operations? i know one of the things you talked about was the way teamwork shown through, and this is something i've heard from a number of leaders in business, that although the pandemic has thrown up incredible challenges to business leaders, it has also shown a light on resilient and teamwork in a way perhaps normal times do not. is that something you took away from your conversation? david: absolutely. as

like all smithsonians, it is free of admission. you are welcome to what i like to think of as the nation's largest history classroom. even with recess and lunch. host: director of the national museum of american history, thank you so much and thank you for having us in today. guest: you are so welcome, john. thank you. you can track us on amhistory on twitter. thank you for all that you and your colleagues do to keep democracy alive. >> american history tv is on c-span3 every weekend, featuring museum tours, archival films, call -- college lectures and discussions on the presidency, civil war and more. you can watch them on our website, c-span.org/history. here's a quick look at one of our programs. ♪ >> miss liberty, hostess to the world. the torch a simple through the years for visitors who seek discovery in this great land. ♪ ♪ city, for many of whose millions washington square contains the arcs of triumph. ♪ here, united nations meet the talk of the problems of the world. while others, visitors like talllves are awed by

the smithsonian had $1 million to get started. i spent that in like two weeks. >> so ultimately, you got artifacts largely given by citizens of our country. how many artifacts and historic things did you bring to the museum? >> we collected nearly 40,000 artifacts, of which 70% came from the basements, trunks, and attics of people's homes. we realized that the idea that this culture, this history was still available, we felt the only way we could do it, if we could get people to share with us their stories, their families, their histories through those collections. >> so among the things you have is you have nat turner's bible, harriet tubman's shawl, but the most popular item in the museum is which one? >> chuck berry's candy apple red cadillac. an artifact that i did not want, did not think it was important, which shows you my leadership skills. >> and how many people have been to the museum since it opened? >> about 7.3 million. >> and the average person who goes to a smithsonian museum spends about an hour and a half there. wh

the smithsonian had 1 million dollars to get started. i spent that in like two weeks. >> ultimately, you have got artifacts given by citizens of our country. how many artifacts and things that you bring back to the museum? >> we collected nearly 40,000 artifacts, of which 70% came from the basements trunks and adding some people's homes. we realized that the idea that this culture, this history was still available, we felt the only way we could do it was if we could get people to share with us their stories, their families, their histories, through those collections. among the things you have, you have matt turner's bible. harriet tubman's shawl. but the most popular item, in the museum is which one? >> chuck berries candy apple red catalytic. an artifact that i did not want and did not think it was important, which shows you my leadership skills. >> how many people have been to the museum since it opened? >> about 7.3 million. >> the average person who goes to smithsonian museum spends about an hour and a half their, what is the average

the smithsonian had $1 million to get started. i spent that in like two weeks. ultimately, you have got artifacts given by citizens of the country. how many were given to the museum? 70% came from people's basements and attics. we realized that the idea of the culture and history still available, we felt the only way we could do it was to get people to share with us stories and histories through the collections. >> you have mel turner's bible. harriet tubman's shawl. what is the most popular item? >> a red cadillac that i did not want and did not think was important, which shows you! >> how many people have been to the museum since it opened? >> 7.3 million. >> what is the average time someone spends going to this museum? >> 4.5 hours to 5.5 hours. it tells you people will spend the time to understand and think about and debate. we are pleased this has become the kind of site that in some ways almost a pilgrimage site. people feel the need to be a part of it. we are grateful to have the opportunity to work with you to create that museum. >> the taxpayers only pu

smithsonian. for this

thank you very much and i did really love to visit all the smithsonian museums and institutions. they were our neighborhood museums they were so wonderful and such a huge asset to the united states. i am thrilled to be here at the institution of the smithsonian institution and to see so many friends. they give very much for coming out tonight. i know there's a lot of people who worked in the administration volunteers here to open all those letters. thank you for everything you did thank you for coming out to welcome me tonight. i'm thrilled to be back and see all of you. you may not know i actually lived in washington twice before george and i moved into the white house. we lived in washington in 1987 and 88 when george was working on his dad's campaign the first in washington was the summer of 1969 when one of my good friends from southern methodist university and i headed east to see what life outside texas would be like. [laughter] we ended up in washington. she got a job at the old garfinkel's department store and i decided to try my luck at getting a job on capitol hill. i s

next a visit to the smithsonian's national portrait gallery. the second of a 2-part program, historian kate clark -- kate

smithsonian. for this exhibition, i worked about 3.5 years researching, teaching myself this history, and finding the objects. we have 124 objects. there are 63 portraits. commemorate the 19th amendment and tell the history of the 19th amendment and how women lobbied to get this amendment passed in ratified. it also ask questions about and what does it do and what does it not do. anothers considered part two of the 19th amendment. i will take you through the exhibition and show you a few of the objects that tell the history. let's go. we are in the first gallery of the exhibition. we have portraits that guide the narrative. i wanted to include pieces of art. like the one we are looking at. it is by a female artist. in 1860's and i wanted to include this painting because it portrays young children -- you have four kids -- the kids are celebrating and the mother is reading the new york times. you have a servant or helper cleaning the dishes. what i liked about this painting is that it is from 1866 a

it's called our nature and culture and that can be reached with the smithsonian through the smithsonian website. i think we can figure out a way to send to the registrants the link so that you can go and see what's going on at the smithsonian while they are under the work from home order just like the rest of us. a couple of people indicated they know about it and that it is a fabulous tour so it is now available online. here's the question that a couple of people asked. it seems like you have really gotten to know these people. i often have heard torrents doris goodwin when she is presenting whether it's lincoln, teddy roosevelt, franklin or whoever, joyous talks about him as my people. she feels sad to leave them when the book is finished. sounds like you have built a relationship with these individuals. can you kind of describe how does that work and how does it feel how do you maintain the relationship with people who lived 200 years ago? >> in some ways it's easier than people who are in our lives today. (laughs) the reality we know of them is the reality that comes out through the

i was gonna be held at the air and space museum of the smithsonian. this was an attempt by the smithsonian to do an honest and balanced to is this exhibit over the decision to drop the atomic bomb. this was the 50th anniversary. in the midst of that, i decided with one of my students whose mother and grandmother survived the atomic bombing it hiroshima. her grandfather died in the atomic bombing. we decided we would do something special to commemorate the 50th anniversary. so we were gonna teach two courses here on campus and bring students here to kyoto and hiroshima. while we were planning, this the smithsonian exhibit got canceled. so in here is and nagasaki they would ask if they would bring some of our artifacts from america and children there. that was the first time that an exhibit was ever done outside of japan. they be doing every one every year since. this is the 20th anniversary of our exhibit so we decided to do again at american university. we combine artifacts from nagasaki near sheen with six hurricane hershey me panels. these are histo

that can be reached through those smithsonian website. i think we can figure out a way to send the link so you can go and see what is going on at the smithsonian while they are under the work from home order like the rest of us. chuck: it is a wonderful tour she gives, by the way. jane: ok, great. a couple people indicated they know about it and it is a fabulous tour. it is now available online. but here is the question that a couple people asked. it seems like you have really gotten to know these people. i often have heard doris goodwin, when she is presenting one of the books she has written, whether it is lincoln or teddy roosevelt or franklin or whoever, she always talks about them as my people. she feels sort of sad to leave them when the book is finished. it sounds like you built a relationship with these individuals. can you kind of describe how does that work and how does it feel and how do you maintain the relationship with people who lived 200 years ago? chuck: in some ways, it is easier than relationships with people in our liv

. -- this was an attempt by the smithsonian to do an honest and balanced exhibit about the decision to drop the bomb and the consequences of the atomic bombing. this was the 50th anniversary. i decidedst of that, with one of my students who -- whose mother and grandmother survived the bombing, and her grandfather died my we decided to was going to do something special to commemorate the 50th anniversary. plus, bring students to kyoto and hiroshima. while we were planning this, the smithsonian exhibit got canceled , so the museums here in nagasaki asked if we could bring some of those artifacts to american university and do another exhibit here on the 50th anniversary. that was the first time the bomb exhibits had been -- outside of japan. this is the 20th anniversary of our exhibit and the original bombing, so we decided to do it again. we combine artifacts from hiroshima and nagasaki with six of this that 15 of these fabulous panels. these are historic panels and they can be compared to the -- or the rape of the sabine women, or other classic paintings of that sort. this is the first

that can be reached through the smithsonian website. i think we can figure out a way to send the link so that you can go and see what is going on at the smithsonian while they are under the work from home order like the rest of us. >> it's wonderful detour that she gives, by the way. >> great. a couple of people indicated they know about it and that it is a fabulous tour. it is now available online. here's the question that a couple of people asked. it seems like you have really gotten to know these people. i've often heard doris goodwin, when she's presenting one of the books that she has written, whether it is lincoln or teddy roosevelt or franklin or whoever, she always talks about them as my people. that she feels sort of said to leave them when the book is finished. it sounds like you build a relationship with these individuals. so can you describe how does that work? how does it feel? how do you maintain the relationship with people who lived 200 years ago? >> right. in some ways, it's easier than relationships with people in our

next a visit to the smithsonian's national portrait gallery. the second of a 2-part program, historian kate clark -- kate clarke lemay gives american history tv a guided tour of an exhibit marking the centennial of the amendment using political cartoons and images of suffragists picketing the white house. and women's party tactics under leadership of alice paul. >> i am kate clarke lemay, curator of an exhibition on view of the national portrait gallery on the smithsonian institution. our title treatment is a large blowup of hedwig riker who was a german born actress and she was acting at columbia, the allegorical figure that represents the united states during the conclusion of the 1913 parade in washington dc and that is just one event of the long suffrage movement this exhibition highlights, 124 objects, long history beginning in 1832, right up to 1920, also querying the nineteenth amendment, to franchise all women including women of color. i took that up to the voting rights act of 1965. if you will come with me we are going to explore the

that can be reached through the smithsonian website. i think we can figure out a way to send the registrants of this the link so that you can go and see what's going on at the smithsonian while they are under the work from home order like the rest of us. >> it's a wonderful tour that she gives, by the way. >> okay. great. a couple people indicated they know about it and it is a fabulous tour. it is now available online. but here is the question that a couple people asked. it seems like you have really gotten to know these people. i often have heard doris goodwin, when she is presenting one of the books she has written, whether it is lincoln or teddy roosevelt or franklin or whoever, she always talks about them as my people. she feels sort of sad to leave them when the book is finished. it sounds like you built a relationship with these individuals. can you describe how does that work and how does it feel and how do you maintain the relationship with people who lived 200 years ago? >> in some ways, it is easier than relationships with pe

. >> hi everyone, welcome to the national portrait gallery at the smithsonian institution i'm the curator of votes for women. for this exhibition i worked 3.5 years researching, finding all the objects. we have about 124 objects, 63 portraits. i was hoping to commemorate the 19th amendment and tell the history of the 19th amendment and how women lobbied to get this amendment passed and ratified. but also ask questions about it. ask what does it do and what does it not to. and why 1965, the voting rights act, was considered a part two of the voting amendment. i will show you a few of the objects that tell this history. we are in the first gallery of the exhibition. i mentioned we have portraits that drive the narrative. i also wanted to include pieces of art, like the one we are looking at. it's by a female artist. lilly spencer who was active in the 1860's. i wanted to include this painting, because it portrays young children, these four kids, one is a baby. and the mother who is reading the new york times. then you have a servant or helper cleaning the dishes. what i like about this pain

the same day, under a morning rain, animal lovertrickled into the smithsonian's national zoo. these two sites are the "tip of the spear" for an institution that has more than 150 million artifacts and works of art and each year uslly attracts more than 30 million visitors. >> our secretary, lonnie bunch, has described in our opening and closing more like a thermostat or a switch that we can turn up and we can turn back >> reporter: the smithsonian's public.ums are free to the officials say these two facilities are uniquely positioned to open first. steve monfort is director of the national zoo. >> we have a large campus, 163 acres. mostly, it's an outdoor experience. we do have indoor houses, but we can restrict access to those. so the idea was to be able to opt if we can provide enough social distancing. we can mandate the use of masks. or>> rr: following guidelines and regulations from the centers for disease control and prevention and the district of columbia,tthe zoo is adg no more than 5,000 trpeople a day with timed passes from 8:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoo

while we were planning this, the smithsonian exhibit got cancelled. so the museums of hiroshima asked if we'd do an exhibit here on the 50th an verse ri. that was the first time that the bombings museums were outside of japan. this is the 20th anniversary of our exhibit and the 70th anniversary of the original bombing. so we decided to do it again here. we combined artifacts with the 6 of the fabulous 15 hiroshima panels. these are historic panels. they can be compared to pith ka so or other classic paintings of that sort. so this is the first time they have been to the united states anywhere since 1995. so now we brought them here. we put it together with these artifacts and with the children's drawings. so that was the origin of our exhibit in 1995. now 20 years later, we have a more lelaborate exhibit. it's the most elaborate exhibit on the atomic bombings that have ever been held in the united states. it's overwhelming. can't tell you how many people have seen it and said that it left them in tears. >> this is one of the most famous images out of

this, theere planning smithsonian exhibit got canceled. bring some we would artifacts to american university and it do an exhibit here on the 50th anniversary. that was the first time that the a bomb museum ever did an exhibit outside of japan. we have been doing one every year cents. this is the 70th anniversary of the bombing and we decided to do it again at american university. we combined artifacts from hiroshima and nagasaki with the marie key hiroshima panels. marukiare -- the hiroshima panels. to where be compared -- the guernica paintings. put together with these artifacts and with children's drawings from an elementary school in hiroshima, as i will explain later, that was the origin of our exhibit. 20 years later we have a more elaborate exhibit. it is the most elaborate exhibit on the atomic bombings that has ever been held in the u.s.. it is overwhelming. i can't tell you how many people have written me and told me it brought them to tears. this is one of the most famous images out of nagasaki. this is a young girl and she daze

this was an attempt by the smithsonian and to do an honest and balanced exhibit about the decision to drop the bomb and the consequences of the bombing. this was the 50th anniversary in 1995. decided with one of my students, whose mother and grandmother survived the atomic bombing, and whose grandfather died in , we decidedombing to do something special to commemorate the 50th anniversary. we would teach two classes on campus and bring students to kyoto. the museums in hiroshima and would bring if we some of the artifacts to american university and do an exhibit on the 50th anniversary. that was the first time the hiroshima-nagasaki a ball museum did an exhibit outside of japan. it was the 20th anniversary of our exhibit and the 70th anniversary of the original bombing, so we decided to do it again. we combined artifacts from nagasaki with six of these fabulous panels. these are historic panels. they can be compared to the picasso or other classic paintings of that sort. this is the first time they have been to the united states anywhere since 1995. we brought them here and put them w

in the smithsonian we were pleased. to purchase the first known photograph of herriot tubman and it's going to be exhibited. they took care of it and it's going to be on exhibit at the new museum of african-american history. [applause] we will see more of that. it's always fun. .. [laughter] [laughter] tony is over here going à [laughter] tony was like Ãbi still live in baltimore. >> that says it all. >> and i commute. it's really interesting because i've lived in other, when i lived in chicago there were so many commuters that came in, people would come in to chicago from gary indiana every day. the idea that people come in from different states, different places every day and i've taken the train now and you see how many people come in to the city and it's like elastic. i didn't get a sense of that before. you go in and you say, there are people who live there, there's an energy there that is similar to new york were you going to new york and you just feel a pace and it changes and that's why when i go back to balti

next, a visit to the smithsonian's national portrait gallery. a historian gives american history tba guided tour of an exhibit marking the centennial of the 19th amendment. using images of early suffrage leaders, she shows how the movement intersected with the abolitionist and temperance movements. this is the first of a two-part series. kate: welcome to the national portrait gallery at the smithsonian institution. i'm the curator of "votes for women." for this exhibition i worked 3.5 years researching, finding all the objects. in the exhibition, we have about 124 objects, 63 portraits. rating the exhibition, hoping to commemorate the 19th amendment and tell the history of the 19th amendment and how women lobbied to get this amendment passed and ratified. but also ask questions about it. and ask, what does it do? what does it amount to? voting 1965 and the rights act was considered a part two of the voting amendment. follow me, i will take you through it show you some of the objects that tell this history. let's go. we are in the first gallery o

. >> next, a visit to the smi smithsonian's national portrait gallery. in the second of a two part program, american history tv is given a guided tour marking the centennial of the 19th amendment. miss lemay explores the national women's party tactics under the leadership of alice paul. >> hi, i'm kate lemay, the curator of votes for women, a portrait of persistence, which is an exhibition on view at the national portrait gallery at the smithsonian institution. i'm standing in front of what we call our title treatment. it's a large blow up of a german born actress. she was acting as columbia, a figure which represents the united states during the finish or the conclusion of the 1913 parade in washington, d.c., and that's just one event of the long suffrage movement that this exhibition highlights. we have 124 objects that goes into the long history beginning in 1832 and bringing it right up to 1920, but then also declaring the 19th amendment and what it didn't do, which was to enfranchise all women, including women of color, so i then took the exhibition

accuracies there are number of mis characterizations and in fact a host of organizations including the smithsonian have called out the 1619 project horrors so your organization the national center on project $21.00 you've done extensive research on this project and you published the work that you found and you're not alone 4 of our nation's greatest historians you say the smithsonian as well but the historians wrote a letter to the new york times editors back in this ember of 200-1000 complaining about the introductory essay which they say points to a dark vision of america where black people continue to struggle for rights that they may never receive due to white racism so that's that's that's part of it that's not even the the factual content of the of the project but that's just the tone that it sets and their vision of america within the project. oh yes and as i was about to say and now on the new york times owners have been discovered to be slave owners themselves notwithstanding that none of their coverage mentions any of this but the more realistic point is that instead of starting quote am

. >>> next, a visit to the smithsonian's national portrait gallery. an exhibit marking the cen ten val of the 19th amendment using images of early suffrage leaders, miss lemay shows how the movement interacted with the abolitionist and tetraum presen movement. >> welcome to the national portrait gallery. i'm kate lemay, the curator of votes for women, a portrait of persistence. for this exhibition i worked about 3 1/2 years researching and teaching myself this history and finding all the objects. in the exhibition we have 124 objects of which there are 63 portraits and i was hoping to commemorate the 19th amendment and tell the history of the 19th amendment and how women lobbied to get this amendment passed and ratified, but also ask questions about it and ask what does it do and what does it not do. and why 1965 and the vote rights act is considered another sort of part two of the 19th amendment. if you'll follow me i will take you through the exhibition and show you a few objects that tell the history. let's go. we're in the first gallery of the exh

. >> next, a visit to the smithsonian's national portrait gallery. historian kate clarke lemay gives american history tv a guided tour of an exhibit marking the centennial of the 19th amendment, using images of early suffrage leaders, she shows how the movement intersected with the abolitionist and temperance movements. this is the first of a two-part program. kate: hi, everyone, welcome to the national portrait gallery at the smithsonian institution. i am kate clarke lemay and i'm the curator of votes for women. a portrait of persistence. for this exhibition, i worked 3.5 years researching, finding all the objects and teach myself this history. for this exhibition we have , about 124 objects, of which there are 63 portraits. in curating the exhibition i was , hoping to commemorate the 19th amendment and tell the history of the 19th amendment and how women lobbied to get this amendment passed and ratified. but also ask questions about it. and ask, what does that do and what does that not do? and why 1965, the voting rights act is considered a mother

. >> next, a visit to the smithsonian national portrait gallery, in the second of a two-part program, historian kate clark lemay gives american history tba guided tour of an exhibit marking the centennial of the 19th amendment using political cartoons and images of suffragists picketing the white house. she explores the national women's party tactics under the leadership of alice paul. >> hello. the curator of an exhibit on view, votes for women, on view at the national portrait gallery at the smithsonian institution and i am standing in front of what we call our title treatments. it is a large blowup of hedwig riker, a german born actress. , theas acting as columbia allegorical figure which duringnts united states the finish or conclusion of the 1913 parade in washington, d.c. and that is one event of the long suffrage movement this exhibition highlights. go into124 objects that the long history beginning in 1832 and bringing it right up to 1920. then also the 19th amendment and what it did not do, which was to enfranchise all women, including men of color. i then took the exhibition

ofn this pandemic hit, 93% the smithsonian staff had to go to telework. it taught me to think very differently and use this as an opportunity to ask fundamental questions about structure, about the way we do business. so my goal is to come out of it better and stronger. david: when the smithsonian does reopen, eventually, will people be required to wear a mask? >> everybody is going to be required to wear a mask unless you have a medical issue. our job is to keep the staff safe and the visitors safe. david: what about the lessons you have learned, what lessons have you personally learned? >> what i have learned is -- one of the biggest lessons is, i don't have to have my fingerprints on everything. i used to think that i have to be there. i don't have to be there. the other thing i learned more than anything else is the fragility of human life. and the fragility of fairness in this country. so, the pandemic, the dual pandemics of the virus and racism, have inspired me even more to struggle to help a country understand itself better and to find a country t

that's not so for the wild populations. >> pelley: melissa songer is a smithsonian conservation biologist working at the foot of mount qingcheng, near the center of china. >> songer: this is the chengdu field research center and most people know it as panda valley. and it was established for the purpose of preparing captive pandas for release into the wild. >> pelley: one of the amazing things that we saw is how well trained they are. but it strikes me that that's a blessing and a curse. >> songer: they don't have the opportunity to learn how to find food or defend against predators. even mating is very complex in the wild. so yes, they're highly trained, but they aren't really trained to be in the wild. >> pelley: then do you train them to be wild? and-- and if so, how do you do that? >> songer: they're not going to be fed. they're going to have to move around and find food. and taking it step by step so acclimatizing them to a very different situation is an important phase before full release. >> pelley: like sending the kids off to college. >> songer: yeah. exactly. >> pelley: there ar

i was working at the smithsonian. and i guess i got on with a few of the black workers well enough that they knew i -- felt i was of them. there was always a question with who was i one of? this bit on campus with the visiting white ministers who thought i was one of them, as opposed to the students who thought i was one of them, led to some weird moments. but one of the black workers told me that they had brought in chaney's body on the weekend after dark to be examined by the forensic people there, and there was not a bone in his body that was not broken. now, this -- never saw anything in the press. this was just word in the hallways, which i tend to believe. >> well, it did. it did get into the press, because a dr. spain from the medical committee for human rights examined him. and it was that famous comment that went all over the world, saying, the only time i've seen a body so beaten up was in an airplane crash. so, that word did get out. but before, in the original, with the mississippi examiners, nothing was s

accuracies there are number of mis characterizations and in fact a host of organizations including the smithsonian have called out the 1619 project horrors so your organization the national center project $21.00 you've done extensive research on this project and you published the work that you found and you're not alone 4 of our nation's greatest historians you say the smithsonian as well but the historians wrote a letter to the new york times editors back in december of 200-1000 complaining about the introductory essay which they say points to a dark vision of america where black people continue to struggle for rights that they may never receive due to white racism so that's that's that's part of it that's not even the the factual content of the of the project but that's just the tone that it sets and their vision of america within the project. well yes and as i was about to say and now in the new york times owners have been discovered to be slave owners themselves notwithstanding that none of their coverage mentions any of this but the more realistic point is that instead of starting quote ameri

this was an attempt by the smithsonian to do an honest and balanced exhibit about the decision to drop the bomb and the consequences of the atomic bombing. this was in 1995, the 50th anniversary. in the midst of that, i decided with one of my students whose grandmother and mother survived the atomic bombing, her grandfather and father died in the atomic calming, they were -- atomic bombing, they were going to do something special to commemorate the 50th anniversary. we are going to teach two courses on campus and bring students to kyoto and hiroshima. while we were planning, the exhibit got canceled. so the victims of hiroshima and nagasaki asked us to bring some artifacts to american university and do in exhibit -- an exhibit here on the 50th anniversary. it was the first time the hiroshima-nagasaki a bomb museums ever did in exhibit outside of japan. this is the 20th anniversary now of our exhibit, and the 70th anniversary of the original bombing, so we decided to do it again here at american university. we combined artifacts from hiroshima and nagasaki with 15 hiroshima panels. thes

. >>> next a visit to the smithsonian's national portrait gallery. kate clarke lemay gives american history a guided tour of an exhibit marking the centennial of the 19th amendment. she shows how the movement intersected with the abolitionists and temperance movements. this is the first of a two-part program. >> hi, everyone. welcome to the national portrait gallery as the smithsonian institution. i'm kate clarke lemay and i'm the curator of votes for women. for this exhibition, i worked about 3 1/2 years, researching, teaching myself this history and finding all the objects. in the exhibition, we had about 124 objects of which there are 63 portraits and in curating the exhibition, i was hoping to commemorate the 19th amendment and tell the history of the 19th amendment and how women lobbied to get this amendment passed and ratified. but also ask questions about it and ask what does it do and what does it not do? and why 1965 and the voting rights acts is considered another sort of part two of the 19th amendment? so if you'll follow me, i'm going to

of who he was during that period and earlier we are doing a virtual event with the secretary of the smithsonian. we are doing an event with a couple of them in a few weeks. i'm also reading a wonderful book and his book on the lincoln conspiracy is quite remarkable. but the book that defined the. for me is a bit of miami history it's all about miami in 1980. miami in 1880 is interesting the very same year, the barrio boatlift, mcduffie riots, probably the most violent riot and then the cocaine epidemic happening here in miami. the federal reserve has a field on --dash several billion dollars surplus nobody can figure out where it comes from which is the under the table but is very compelling. and there was a little bit of wire and a marvelous book. the best way to contact us personally mitchell at books and books.com or go to the website and join the mailing list and you will never feel alone. you will get a lot of e-mails from us for sure. >> mitch kaplan is the owner of books and books bookstore in the miami area. coral gables is headquarters. we appreciate the update and will check in with y

. >>> next, a visit to the smithsonian's national portrait gallery. in the second of a two-part program, historian kate clarke lemay gives american history tv a guided tour of an exhibit marking the centennial of the 19th amendment using political cartoons and images of suffragists picketing the white house, ms. lemay explores the national women's party tactics under the leadership of alice paul. >> hi, i'm kate lemay, and i'm the curator of votes for women, a portrait of persistence, which is an exhibition on view at the national portrait gallery at the smithsonian institution. and i'm standing in front of what we call our title treatment. it's a large blowup of headwig lik riker who was a german born actress. during the finnish or the conclusion of the 1913 parade in washington, d.c., andst that just one event of the long suffrage movement that this exhibition highlights, and we have 124 objects that goes into the long history beginning in the 1832 and bringing it right up to 1920, but then also querying the 19th amendment and what it didn't do, whi

we looked at every closet at the smithsonian center. the basketball. office we've and had his house. nobody could find it. then, somebody who had visited his house five years earlier and said, i think i know where that is. so they went to the house. they looked on top of the dining room of a cabinet, and there, tucked between two plants on the top of this cabinet and his house was one of the most prestigious awards that was given in sports each year. the other one that is very prominent is the presidential medal of freedom that president obama bestowed upon coach smith several years ago. that is a photo of his family. numbers as well as coach williams on the right. with the president and michelle obama. people at the university of north carolina to tremendous pride and coach smith for receiving that award. certainly, of all basketball awards, but the presidential medal of freedom is probably the top thing. it is the most, to me, the most prestigious artifact that is here in the museum. there are three players who have their own cases here at the caroli

porter: the smithsonian's 19 museums are free to the public. officials say these two facilities are uniquely positioned to open f >> steve monfort is director of the national zoo. >> we have a large campus, 163 acres. mostly, it's an outdoor experience. we do have indoor houses, but we can restrict access to those. so the idea was to be able to opt if we can provide enough social distancing we can mandate , the use of masks. reporter: following guidelines and regulations from the centers for disease control and prevention and the district of columbia, the zoo is admitting no more than 5000 people a day with timed entry pasths from 8:00 imorning to 4:00 in the afternoon. on an ordinary summer day, the zoo cohave as many as 25,000 guests. now every visitor six and older is required to wear a face covering. the pandemic has also meant changes for zoo's permanent residents. assothate director brandie smi oversees animal care. talk about what it was like here for the months that you were closed. did the animal's behavior change at all the people gon

we'll also take a tour of the veets for women exhibit at the smithsonian women's gallery. we'll show images of suffrage leaders and political cartoons and explain how the movement intersected with other movements. watch at 8:00 p.m. eastern and enjoy american history tv this weekend and every weekend on c-span3. >>> the 19th amendment of the constitution giving women the right to vote was ratified 100 years ago this week. up next, a series of kofrg conversations looking at the history and legacy of the nec t amendment. all in together provided the video. >>> good evening and welcome to this very special celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amend. i'm the co-founder and ceo of all in together. all in together is thrilled to host tonight's special virtual town hall in partnership with the lbj foundation, the george and barbara bush foundation, the ronald reagan library, the national archives, the national constitution center, and the 19th.

earlier, any cloud is remarkable and we're doing a virtual event with any cloud and the secretaryof the smithsonian . tickets are a bunch, were doing an event with them in a couple of weeks. i'm also reading a really wonderful book that was published a little while ago by brad meltzer, a mutual friend, his book on the lincoln conspiracy and that is quite remarkable i would say that the book that really has to find this period for me is getting a bit of miami history written in the style of the devil and the white city. it's called a year of dangerous days. it's all about miami in 1980. miami in 1980 was very interesting that you had in the same year the marriott boatlift, you had a mcduffie wives which were probably the most violent riots in miami history certainly read and then you have the beginning of the cocaine epidemic happening here in miami. the federal reserve in miami had a $7 billion surplus and nobody could figure out where that was coming from. and it was coming from a kind of under the table kind of market. and that book was written by nicholas griffin, published by simon and schuster

the secretary of the smithsonian's additions -- smithsonian institution beard the first to story to oversee the world's largest museum. that is tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern. this is bloomberg. ♪ ♪ this is "bloomberg markets." target shooters skyrocketing today. up 12%. the fastest sales growth ever. is matthewnow mcclintock. it is only now that the stimulus checks are going away. there were plenty going out in this quarter. target tohave held the disadvantage of coming ?uarters matthew: thanks for having me on the show. i think stimulus played a part of it. when we see the core competitors like jcpenney and macy's and strength at target, it means there is something more than stimulus. they gave us numbers or same-store sales growth for the months throughout the quarter. decelerate but they still remain double digits in august. we believe it is widely because the growth is coming from the weaker players out there that quite frankly are only going to get weaker going forward. vonnie: was it makes techtarget had in it stores? online is up 195%. that can mean anything. it sounds like a lot.

ordering a virtual event with eddie cloud and the secretary of the smithsonian, secretary bunch. during an event with the two of them in a couple weeks. you his book on the lincoln conspiracy and that's quite remarkable. i would say that the book that really has the finest period for me is getting a bit miami history that is written in the style of the devil in the white city it's called the year of dangerous days. all about miami in 1980. miami in 1980 was very interesting. you had in the very same year you had to marry a Ãthe mcduffie riots, probably the most violent riots in miami history certainly. then you have the beginning of the cocaine epidemic happening in miami. the federal of miami had a $7 billion surplus and nobody could figure out where was coming from. it was coming from and under the table market. that book was written by nicholas crichton, published by schuster, the air of dangerous days and it's really compelling. for fans of nonfiction a little bit of wire in it a little bit of eric larson, really a marvelous marvelous book. >> if people want to contact books

inform, we're doing a virtual event with eddie gloud and the secretary of the smithsonian in a couple of weeks. i'm also reading a really wonderful book that was, that was published a little while ago by brad melzer, a mutual friend, his book on the lincoln conspiracy. and that is quite remarkable. but i would say that the book that really has defined this period for me is getting a bit of miami history that is written in the style of the devil in the white city. it's called "the year of dangerous days." it's all about miami in 1980. miami in 1980 was very interesting. you had in the very same year you had the mariel boat lift, the mcduff few riots which was -- mcduffy riots which was probably the most violent riots in miami history certainly, and the beginning of the cocaine epidemic happening here in miami. the federal reserve in miami had a $7 billion surplus, and nobody could figure out where that was coming from, and it was coming from a kind of under the table kind of market. and ask that book is written by nicholas griffin published by simon and schuster, the year of dangerous