Episode Description Director of experience design and the African American history program at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, WSU alumnus and Detroit native Christopher Wilson, this year’s keynote speaker at WSU’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., discusses King’s legacy then and now.
About In leading experience design at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Christopher Wilson works to engage visitors in conversation about our nation’s rich and diverse history. Chris founded several major program series at the Smithsonian, including History alive! theater programs, interactive and emotional presentations of stories of America’s past that resonate in the nation’s present; the National Youth Summit series, engaging high school students nationally and internationally in conversation about relevant history; and the History Film Forum, an exploration of film as public history. Chris has worked on exhibitions including Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life, American Democracy, and The Greensboro Lunch Counter. Chris spent 18 years at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation before moving on to the Smithsonian in 2004 to take the role of director of the African American History Program at the National Museum of American History. In this role, he oversaw the program’s rich collection of oral histories, interviews and recordings, as well as researched and produced programs primarily focused on the civil rights movement. He earned his bachelor’s from the University of Michigan and his master’s in history from Wayne State University. He has earned numerous accolades for his innovations in education and publishes book reviews and articles for Smithsonian magazine. Chris is currently working to relaunch his Time Trials program, which explores history and memory, as a series of graphic novels and a television program.
Additional Resources Learn more about Wayne State’s annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King https://events.wayne.edu/2022/01/14/annual-rev-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-tribute-2022-91024/
Follow Christopher Wilson on Twitter https://twitter.com/wolverinewilson
Follow the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Twitter https://twitter.com/amhistorymuseum
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