UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It took more than half a billion dollars and a decade to bring the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington, D.C., to life. WPSU’s Cheraine Stanford talks with the museum’s founding director, Lonnie G. Bunch III, about his life, the museum’s goals, and why he thinks the museum tells the quintessential American story, in the next installment of “Take Note,” which airs at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, and 7 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 19.
A historian, author, curator and educator, Bunch has spent nearly 30 years in the museum field where he is regarded as one of the nation’s leading figures in the historical and museum community. As director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, he promotes the museum’s mission to help audiences see African-American history as American history, and provides strategic leadership in areas of fundraising, collections, and academic and cultural partnerships. He came to his current position after serving as president of the Chicago Historical Society. In addition to teaching at several universities, Bunch also has worked at the National Museum of American History, the California African American Museum and the National Air and Space Museum.
Listeners can tune in to the program on the WPSU website, or to WPSX 91.5 in central Pennsylvania, 90.1 in northern Pennsylvania, 92.1 in DuBois, 102.5 in Huntingdon, 95.1 in Treasure Lake, 100.9 in Bradford, 104.7 in Clearfield, and 106.7 in Altoona or at wpsu.org.
Take Note is WPSU’s weekly community affairs radio program that features in-depth interviews with central Pennsylvania and national newsmakers. Future episodes will feature:
- D. Holmes Morton, physician with expertise in Amish genetic diseases
- Jelani Cobb, staff writer for The New Yorker and professor of journalism at Columbia University
- Aija Mayrock, activist and author of “The Survival Guide to Bullying”
- Seth Miller, executive director of the Innocence project of Florida; President of the Innocence Network
Previous episodes are also available on the website.