SOON AFTER THE National Museum of African American History and Culture opened, I witnessed a powerful exchange. At the casket of Emmett Till, two families of different races met and struck up a conversation. Working together, both sets of parents helped to explain to their children the meaning of his death: how the 14-year-old had been murdered, how it became a rallying cry for the civil rights movement, and why we remember his story today.
To me, this moment revealed the great strength of museums. Museums bring people of different backgrounds, experiences and beliefs together. Museums ask audiences to enter a common space and explore a common interest. Museums create informal communities of learning, helping people recognize how much we share, despite our differences, and how much those differences can…
