What age for African American History Museum?

[Anonymous]

I took my white son at 8. He behaved, was interested (he loves museums and is generally very curious, and goes to an all black school), and I took him through the Emmet Till memorial exhibit room.

It was a shorter day with him than I had spent on my precious adult only visit. I’d recommend seeing the harsher parts (like Emmet Till, not the slavery parts) before taking a kid so that you can be focused on their reaction and be prepared in advance for how you might feel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I took my white son at 8. He behaved, was interested (he loves museums and is generally very curious, and goes to an all black school), and I took him through the Emmet Till memorial exhibit room.

It was a shorter day with him than I had spent on my precious adult only visit. I’d recommend seeing the harsher parts (like Emmet Till, not the slavery parts) before taking a kid so that you can be focused on their reaction and be prepared in advance for how you might feel.

Taking my mom POC kid at 8 too, next year. Also curious and respectful in nature. Also highly empathetic.

[Anonymous]

There are two main parts to the AAHM, the upstairs levels are all cultural and can be enjoyed and experienced by any child at any age without any background. The downstairs portion is the history part about the slave trade, civil war, Jim crow and such.

I think that the history part is more disturbing to adults than it is to kids, but you have to be ready to explain the exhibits to your children in ways that they can understand and be ready to answer the questions that they will have if you want them to get much out of the museum. Kids are exposed to this history in elementary school and pre-school at a young age by learning about Martin Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln and such already, so none of this should be a complete surprise to your kids, but it might be helpful for you to have a few discussions with them before you go to prepare them.

[Anonymous]

I am taking my AA 7yo in April. I have been told there is a kids way to do it, so plan on doing that. We will leave out rooms I think she is too young to understand

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you still need to reserve tickets/passes in advance? Is it hard to get tickets?

yes you do, its 3 months in advance.

[Anonymous]

We are AA (1st-gen) and I've taken my daughter twice so far, at age 5 and more recently when family was in town, around her 8th bday in the fall. I've also been once with a friend when the museum first opened, before going with my daughter.

Tbh, I don't think she got a lot out of it last time--she was in a mood and sort of rushed through. If I were to take her again, I'd spend more time setting the context for her beforehand, and emphasize the importance of being respectful (she wasn't loud or misbehaving, but just looked bored at times). I do think she enjoyed some of the upper floors, though.

She's not very sensitive so was not upset by any images. That said, we did not look at any pics with the red borders, and did not go into the Emmett Till area.

I'd probably recommend 7/8 + for AA kids, and maybe 10+ for most non-AA kids.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for all the info and great advice!

One thing I’m trying to understand is if kids will see violent images on those lower floors, for example if we don’t go in the Emmett Till Room. Some of you mentioned red borders - are these small pictures you quickly walked past so your kids wouldn’t see them, or are they kind of tucked away? Or did your kids glimpse them anyway?

I don’t mean any disrespect or to suggest they’re shouldn’t be violent images. Just trying to figure out when my kids would be ready and unfortunately I don’t have the opportunity to go without them. They have learned some things and I would like them to understand more deeply but also don’t want to traumatize or confuse them. .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for all the info and great advice!

One thing I’m trying to understand is if kids will see violent images on those lower floors, for example if we don’t go in the Emmett Till Room. Some of you mentioned red borders - are these small pictures you quickly walked past so your kids wouldn’t see them, or are they kind of tucked away? Or did your kids glimpse them anyway?

I don’t mean any disrespect or to suggest they’re shouldn’t be violent images. Just trying to figure out when my kids would be ready and unfortunately I don’t have the opportunity to go without them. They have learned some things and I would like them to understand more deeply but also don’t want to traumatize or confuse them. .

I think kids sort of self sensor with things like books and museums. (Not so much with movies or shows, as you have less control over what you see or spend time dwelling on). My six year old white child saw images and exhibits that made her sad and confused (but why did people think that way?), but nothing traumatizing. We did spend time before and after discussing the themes and digesting what we saw.

For reference, she's a sensitive child who didn't want to see the end of Harry Potter. She'd like to go back to this museum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for all the info and great advice!

One thing I’m trying to understand is if kids will see violent images on those lower floors, for example if we don’t go in the Emmett Till Room. Some of you mentioned red borders - are these small pictures you quickly walked past so your kids wouldn’t see them, or are they kind of tucked away? Or did your kids glimpse them anyway?

I don’t mean any disrespect or to suggest they’re shouldn’t be violent images. Just trying to figure out when my kids would be ready and unfortunately I don’t have the opportunity to go without them. They have learned some things and I would like them to understand more deeply but also don’t want to traumatize or confuse them. .

I mean, yes. Slavery was violent. Human trade and bondage was violent. If you want to avoid that, the museum is not for you and your kid. Or you need to stick to the happy upper floors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AA kids, as soon as you want to take them
White kids- middle school at the earliest. Have never seen white kids younger than that behaving or showing any interest or treating the museum with respect.

Harsh but fair imo (although I know a few-- VERY few-- for whom this is or would not be true). But agree-- don't take your kids if they aren't willing to be pretty reverent and you don't discuss race or black history with them otherwise.

I’m the PP and I’ve been several times, once with my own students on a field trip. The main issue is your last point: there are the openly disrespectful idiots who have the audacity to wear MAGA hats inside the museum, but just as problematic are the White people who take their kids/students to feel good about themselves but don’t do any of the work to talk about racism throughout the rest of the year - how it STILL operates, how every system in which we exist was designed by racism and works only because of racism. The kids end up getting nothing out of the visit at best because as far as they’re concerned, slavery was abolished, it’s over, and racism is gone and everyone is equal now. It is an injustice and disservice to treat that museum as a) ancient history and b) proof that racism is gone/“we went to the NMAAHC so we can’t be racists” and this is a lot of what I see from white patrons and schools on field trips when I’ve gone. Disinterested kids and educators/parents who haven’t done the work necessary for the kids to get what they should from the experience. So then they’re all sitting around on benches whining and wanting to leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you still need to reserve tickets/passes in advance? Is it hard to get tickets?

yes you do, its 3 months in advance.

Also available same-day on line. When we went they had some for walk ups too. I have to say it was extremely crowded. We thought if they are going to do tickets...they could have done few less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for all the info and great advice!

One thing I’m trying to understand is if kids will see violent images on those lower floors, for example if we don’t go in the Emmett Till Room. Some of you mentioned red borders - are these small pictures you quickly walked past so your kids wouldn’t see them, or are they kind of tucked away? Or did your kids glimpse them anyway?

I don’t mean any disrespect or to suggest they’re shouldn’t be violent images. Just trying to figure out when my kids would be ready and unfortunately I don’t have the opportunity to go without them. They have learned some things and I would like them to understand more deeply but also don’t want to traumatize or confuse them. .

I recall that there was one room with photos of lynchings--basically what Billie Holiday sang about in "Strange Fruit." I don't remember any others, but I may have missed some. I just didn't take my kid in that room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for all the info and great advice!

One thing I’m trying to understand is if kids will see violent images on those lower floors, for example if we don’t go in the Emmett Till Room. Some of you mentioned red borders - are these small pictures you quickly walked past so your kids wouldn’t see them, or are they kind of tucked away? Or did your kids glimpse them anyway?

I don’t mean any disrespect or to suggest they’re shouldn’t be violent images. Just trying to figure out when my kids would be ready and unfortunately I don’t have the opportunity to go without them. They have learned some things and I would like them to understand more deeply but also don’t want to traumatize or confuse them. .

I recall that there was one room with photos of lynchings--basically what Billie Holiday sang about in "Strange Fruit." I don't remember any others, but I may have missed some. I just didn't take my kid in that room.

I'm the AA PP w/the 8yo, btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for all the info and great advice!

One thing I’m trying to understand is if kids will see violent images on those lower floors, for example if we don’t go in the Emmett Till Room. Some of you mentioned red borders - are these small pictures you quickly walked past so your kids wouldn’t see them, or are they kind of tucked away? Or did your kids glimpse them anyway?

I don’t mean any disrespect or to suggest they’re shouldn’t be violent images. Just trying to figure out when my kids would be ready and unfortunately I don’t have the opportunity to go without them. They have learned some things and I would like them to understand more deeply but also don’t want to traumatize or confuse them. .

I mean, yes. Slavery was violent. Human trade and bondage was violent. If you want to avoid that, the museum is not for you and your kid. Or you need to stick to the happy upper floors.

Almost all museums have violent things in them, the African American museum isn't unique in that respect. Violent TV shows and movies are more upsetting and disturbing for my kids than this museum.

[Anonymous]

It's pretty reading focused, so your kid will probably get more out of it if they are a decent reader. We went this past summer when my daughter was almost 11. It was a good time to go, I think. She got a lot out of it. We'll go back in another couple of years so she can pick up more.

I saw AA families with much younger kids all over the museum.

We did the Holocaust museum a year or two too early, I think, but I felt like there were some parallels with things that are happening now and I wanted her to see them.