Jubilee: African American Celebration

Through images of captured moments from throughout the years, this exhibition looks at the history, traditional music, and regional folklore of African American holidays and celebrations around the country from the 18th century to the present. Many of the celebrations originating in the 18th and 19th centuries—such as Election Day, Pinkster, and John Canoe—no longer exist after being observed for generations. Others not as well known or widely celebrated, such as Big Quarterly and Shrove Tuesday, are still celebrated regionally. The exhibition also shows homecoming festivities of historically black colleges and universities; annual events of African American fraternities, sororities, and secret societies; and more recently emerged traditions, such as Kwanzaa, family reunions, and Martin Luther King Day.