"Let Resistance Be Your Motto" May 14, 2010

“Let your motto be resistance! Resistance! Resistance! No oppressed people have ever secured their liberty without resistance.”—abolitionist Henry Highland Garnet, 1843



Garnet’s words have found their way into the title—and the essence—of the inaugural exhibition of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Presented by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, “Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits” opens at the African American Performing Arts Center on Friday, May 14 and will be on view until Friday, July 23, 2010. The exhibition consists of 69 modern prints made from the National Portrait Gallery’s collections highlighting 150 years of African American resistance in the U.S. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sundays and Mondays.