The Kinsey family is dedicated to preserving African-American heritage, and pieces of their extensive collection of artwork, books, documents, and other artifacts has been on display at places like the Smithsonian. Now you can see some of these artifacts for yourself when you visit Epcot at Walt Disney World.
The grand opening of the exhibit, which is in the American Adventure pavilion, was held on March 8. Philanthropists Bernard and Shirley Kinsey were on hand, along with their son, Khalil, and various extended family members and friends. The whole family teared up with emotion as the exhibit opened to the public after five years of planning and preparation.
Click the video toward the bottom of this article for a slideshow of some of the pieces you'll see. There are books by African-Americans dating back to the 1700s, documents, paintings, and sculptures that bring history to life in a vivid way and highlight the contributions of black Americans to their country. It's a fitting tie-in with the American Adventure. If you have problems viewing the video, see it on YouTube via this link.
Throughout the exhibit, you'll also find interactive lanterns. Press the lever and you'll see and hear a brief presentation highlighting one of the five cornerstones of the exhibit: hope, belief, heritage, courage, and imagination. The lanterns all feature celebrity narrators like Whoopi Goldberg of "The View" and James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson, both from "Grey's Anatomy." Pickens Jr. and Wilson were on hand for the grand opening.
If you're in the Disney area and would like to see more African-American history, Fantasy of Flight has an exhibit on the Tuskegee Airmen and a red tail plane. Check out this video of three of the original Tuskegee heroes visiting the attraction for its "Legacies and Legends" series.
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