This Juneteenth I stood in the gift shop of the National Museum of African American History and Culture - NMAAHC aka the Blacksonian - while a live DJ shook the walls. Hundreds of Black folks and families were line dancing, laughing, jubilant. For a little while it felt like everyone put their worries down.
If you didn’t know: museums in DC throw some great parties. NMAAHC does Juneteenth. The Smithsonian has a whole solstice slate of events. There are fabulous parties at some of the art museums too. If you love a museum, get on their email list - they’re probably doing more than you think.
That night I was at the Blacksonian to party. But I wandered into the gift shop to see if they carried my book. And there it was on the shelf. A staff member appeared with a Sharpie, and I started signing - in the same building where years before I had stood for hours on opening night, watching families and elders weep as they finally got to see our monument on the Mall, open for all of us.
That was my “I am my ancestors’ wildest dream” moment.
And that doesn’t happen often. I’m proud of my work and I have an incredible community, but this one was different. This is exactly what my dad would have been proud of. What my Granny would be bragging to her friends about.
And it struck me just how lucky I am to have a moment like that, one I never could have predicted. Not when I was starting over. Not when I was getting divorced. Not when I was crying on the internet. Not when I was deeply depressed. Not when I was a broke student who had no idea what she wanted to do with her life.
I never would have thought that making my way back to DC would lead to this - the community, twerking in the African American History Museum, dancing and signing my book at the Smithsonian.
But that’s really how you’re supposed to do Juneteenth, in my opinion. Full of Black joy as vital resistance. And we did it right this weekend.
If you haven’t bought American Soul yet - it’s in school curriculums, it’s at Obama’s Presidential Center, it’s at the Smithsonian. It should be at your house too.