00:01
my name is Melanie Adams and I had the
00:04
privilege of serving as the director of
00:06
the Smithsonian's Anacostia community
00:08
museum located in the Great Ward 8 like
00:11
many of you watching this video I'm
00:13
experiencing a new normal that prevents
00:15
me from engaging in the everyday
00:16
activities that until recently I took
00:18
for granted no longer can we come
00:21
together to celebrate commemorate or
00:23
mourn the many milestones that measure
00:25
one's life and while I can sit at home
00:28
and lament my lack of mobility during
00:29
this time it goes without saying that
00:31
there are many people in our community
00:33
who are going to work every day making
00:35
sure the rest of us remain safe healthy
00:38
and fed as the worth grapples with the
00:41
uncertainty brought on by Covid-19 the
00:43
word community is more important than
00:45
ever as individuals are finding support
00:47
from their communities these communities
00:50
could be your family your friends your
00:52
religious institutions your school or
00:54
your local barber shop or hair salon the
00:57
Anacostia Community Museum’s mission is
00:59
to amplify the collective power of the
01:01
community currently that collective
01:03
power is the ability to care for and
01:06
comfort each other in this time of need
01:07
we at ACM want to hear the stories of
01:10
how community members are supporting
01:12
each other on a day to day basis it
01:15
could be the story of the young man who
01:16
volunteered to shop for his elderly
01:18
neighbor or the restaurant owner who
01:20
went from feeding the public to feeding
01:22
the suddenly unemployed these actions
01:25
large and small demonstrate moments of
01:27
resilience and our shared capacity to
01:29
make a difference we are asking you to
01:31
share these stories on our website
01:32
Anacostia.si.edu some of the
01:36
stories will be shared on our social
01:37
media channels while others may become
01:39
part of the museum's collection
01:41
throughout its fifty-three year history
01:43
the Anacostia Community Museum has
01:45
focused on telling the stories of the
01:47
individuals and events of the DC region
01:49
that are usually left out of the history
01:51
books the stories of conflict resilience
01:54
and most importantly community action
01:57
that led to a better future for all when
02:00
all of this is over and we settle into a
02:02
new normal the records will reflect the
02:04
facts and figures related
02:06
to the pandemic the number of lives
02:08
taken the number of jobs lost the number
02:10
of years to create a vaccine it is our
02:13
mission at ACM to make sure we are also
02:16
able to amplify the stories of the
02:18
everyday individuals who helped foster a
02:20
sense of belonging connectedness at
02:23
community during this time of
02:24
uncertainty in our history so on behalf
02:27
of the Anacostia community museum staff
02:30
take care of each other
02:31
and stay safe