Yet She Is Advancing”

buttons. 9 In addition to her environmental activism, Butler was a fierce advocate for DC Statehood, a fact that was recently commemorated by a mural commissioned by the League of Conservation Voters and the statehood advocacy group 51 for 51.The mural, created by artist Ces r Maxit, is prominently featured in the exhibit.The exhibition featured display cases with several artifacts related to its corresponding themes.Two items of particular interest were the scrubs and COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card of Sandra Lindsay, a nurse who was the first person in the US to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in 2020.There are interactive components as well, some of which were directly inspired by displayed artifacts.Visitors are prompted to respond to the question, "What would environmental justice look like to you," by designing a quilt square that they can then add to a wall, which forms a quilt compiled from visitors' answers.Although the exhibition space of the ACM might be considered small in comparison to other Smithsonian member institutions, this exhibit goes a long way to show the importance of community museums.On its website, ACM establishes itself as a museum that "documents and preserves communities' memories, struggles, and successes, and offers a platform where diverse voices and cultures can be heard." 10Once I finished viewing the exhibit, I spoke with Andrea Jones, Associate Director of Education.She recounted a story to me of a woman who recently visited the exhibition.The woman used to be ashamed that she grew up in Anacostia; To Live and Breathe gave her a reason to be proud.As I headed to my car, I walked past a farmers market set up near the entrance, as well as a community fridge located in the parking lot itself.I pondered on a quote from Nannie Helen Burroughs that was featured in the exhibit.It perfectly encapsulates not only the overall theme of the exhibit, but the museum itself: "Nothing has been done to improve the conditions of the Negro working woman.We must, therefore, paddle our own canoe

Political science · Historical Gender and Feminism Studies · History · Race, History, and American Society