INSIDER
Oprah Winfrey portrait — featuring the color purple — unveiled at National Portrait Gallery
Read full article: Oprah Winfrey portrait — featuring the color purple — unveiled at National Portrait GalleryIt seemed only fitting that Oprah Winfrey chose to wear a flowing, full-length purple dress for her portrait unveiled Wednesday at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
Young black bear wanders Washington D.C. neighborhood, sparking a frenzy before being captured
Read full article: Young black bear wanders Washington D.C. neighborhood, sparking a frenzy before being capturedA young black bear gave residents of a quiet northeast Washington neighborhood a start Friday morning when they woke to find a furry interloper wandering backyards and sniffing around garbage cans.
Jill Biden donates inaugural wear, face masks to Smithsonian
Read full article: Jill Biden donates inaugural wear, face masks to SmithsonianThe ocean blue tweed dress and matching coat Jill Biden wore for Joe Biden's presidential inauguration are on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
Michigan Science Center offers free admission for military personnel, families
Read full article: Michigan Science Center offers free admission for military personnel, familiesThe Michigan Science Center will join museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to currently-serving U.S. military personnel and their families.
Pandas devour ice cake to celebrate 50 years at National Zoo
Read full article: Pandas devour ice cake to celebrate 50 years at National ZooThe “cake” was made from frozen fruit juice, sweet potatoes, carrots and sugar cane and it lasted about 15 minutes once giant panda mama Mei Xiang and her cub Xiao Qi Ji got hold of it.
Detroiter to focus on inclusion as curator of Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Read full article: Detroiter to focus on inclusion as curator of Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery“The exposure to having images that look like you, that reflect the range of Americans is is powerful,” Combs said. “It cannot be underestimated.”
Fauci presents his personal virus model to Smithsonian
Read full article: Fauci presents his personal virus model to SmithsonianFauci presented the donation Tuesday night in a virtual ceremony to honor him with the museums Great Americans Medal. (Smithsonian's National Museum of American History via AP)WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the U.S. government’s pandemic response, has donated his personal 3D model of the COVID-19 virus to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The museum on Tuesday honored Fauci with its Great Americans Medal. “His humanitarianism and dedication truly exemplify what it means to be a Great American." The museum asked Fauci to contribute a personal artifact to mark the pandemic, and he chose the lumpy blue and orange ball that he used to explain the complexities of the virus in dozens of interviews.
Charley Pride, a country music Black superstar, dies at 86
Read full article: Charley Pride, a country music Black superstar, dies at 86“I’m so heartbroken that one of my dearest and oldest friends, Charley Pride, has passed away. 1 hits between 1969 and 1984, won the Country Music Association’s Top Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year awards in 1972 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. But until the early 1990s, when Cleve Francis came along, Pride was the only Black country singer signed to a major label. “Then it was `first Negro country singer;’ then `first black country singer.′ Now I’m the `first African-American country singer.′ That’s about the only thing that’s changed. “The Texas Rangers join the country music world in mourning the loss of Charley Pride.
Utah senator blocks national museums for Latinos, women
Read full article: Utah senator blocks national museums for Latinos, womenWASHINGTON – A lone senator from Utah has singlehandedly blocked the bipartisan approval of two new national museums to honor American Latinos and women, arguing that “last thing we need is to further divide an already divided nation.”Republican Sen. Mike Lee objected Thursday to the creation of the two proposed Smithsonian museums, stalling two projects that have been in the making for decades and enjoy broad bipartisan support. Senate approval would have sent the legislation approving the Latino museum to President Donald Trump for his signature. The Senate was attempting to pass the measures by voice vote, which requires every senator's consent. Lee said he sees an exception for museums dedicated to American Indians and African Americans that already sit on the National Mall. “We have been systematically excluded, not because this senator said so but because the Smithsonian itself said so,” Menendez said.