The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), the newest of the nineteen museums of the Smithsonian Institution, is quite pleased and honored to continue its collaboration with the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Our partnership began with the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, when we crafted Been in the Storm So Long, a well-received concert series that highlighted musical traditions of regions in the American South that were devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. By encouraging audiences on the Mall to tap their toes to New Orleans jazz, gospel music, and the sounds of southern rhythm and blues, we hoped to bring alive the culture that was nearly lost when the floodwaters rose.

As we launch the Museum, collaboration with the Folklife Festival is quite appropriate. For more than forty years, the Festival--a Washington institution-has helped millions of visitors remember and celebrate diverse cultures and traditions.