![A woman passes a display depicting the Mexico Olympic protest during a media preview at the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, U.S., September 14, 2016. The museum will open to the public on September 24. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. - RTSNR10](http://research.bowdoin.edu/dante-today/files/2016/09/lead_960.jpg)
“The Smithsonian’s new memorial of African American history and culture is at once triumphant and crushing.” […]
“The descent and ascent achieve an effect similar to Dante’s harrowing journey in Inferno, and the walk upwards through Reconstruction, Redemption, the civil-rights movement, and into the present day is a reminder of the constant push and pull of horror and protest.” –Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, September 23, 2016
Contributed by Pamela Montanaro