The month of December will bring much culture to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with the start of the Black Memorabilia, Art and Doll Show and Sale.
Held at the Convention Center from Dec. 7-8, the exhibits will run from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. Not new to the area, the show has been hosted in neighboring locations, dating back to the 1980s. Lindsey Johnson, who is organizing the show this year with L. Johnson Promotions, Ltd., is excited to bring the show to the Convention Center.
“This show is a combination of the Black Memorabilia Show and the Black Doll Show that have been hosted in different locations in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, including Maryland and Virginia, since the early 1980s,” Johnson said. “For the last seven years, the Black Memorabilia Show has been at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg, Md. This is the first time for both of these events at this Convention Center.”
There will be many exhibitors set up on both days to display their work. Many notable pieces of black art, dolls, artifacts, books, autographs, toys, sports and entertainment memorabilia and other items from all across the country will be featured and put up for sale.
There will also be several special exhibits showcased during the shows, ranging from talks with a Tuskegee Airman to an autograph session with several players from the Negro League Baseball. The show seeks to highlight many aspects of the black experience.
A featured event will be an exhibit titled “Lest we Forget,” from the Museum of African American Slavery in Philadelphia. This exhibit will showcase a broad collection of slavery artifacts and items from the Jim Crow era. There will also be other items in the collection that have been gathered and assembled for public viewing. Some items displayed will include shackles, photos, branding irons and other documents.
Another slavery exhibit that will be featured is titled “Not Just a Hoe,” from Summervile, S.C., displaying furniture and pottery handcrafted by enslaved Africans. The pieces are significant to South Carolina because they were made and used on many of the plantations in the state.
A book signing will also take place with Curtis Christopher Robinson, an original Tuskegee Airman whose life is chronicled in George Norfleet’s A Pilot’s Journey.
Another Tuskegee Airman who will be in attendance is Colonel Charles McGee, who was one of the first African Americans to serve in the U.S. military. A veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, he has also flown more than 400 combat missions in his 31-year career with the armed forces.
Many fans of baseball should look forward to the exhibit with Negro League Baseball players. Some of the players in attendance will be James Tillman of the Homestead Grays, Mamie “Peanut” Johnson of the Indianapolis Clowns and Fred Valentine, who played in the major league for the Baltimore Orioles.
The east coast chapter of the Black Panther Party will also be in attendance.
The show will feature many educational exhibits for the whole family. Admission to the show for adults will be $6 while children under 12 get in for free.
“The Convention Center is located in the heart of the nation’s capital and is easy to reach via the Metro system, which makes it very convenient for most of the people in the area,” Johnson said.
Further information regarding the show can be accessed here.
