August 28: A Day in the Life of a People

A powerful 24-hour screening of August 28: A Day in the Life of a People, directed by Ava DuVernay and presented in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in honor of its 10th anniversary.

August 28: A Day in the Life of a People brings together pivotal moments in Black history that share a single date—from the abolition of slavery in the United Kingdom to Emmett Till, the March on Washington, Hurricane Katrina, and the nomination of Barack Obama. Guided by the words of Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Langston Hughes, and Maya Angelou, and framed by a moment of silence for W.E.B. Du Bois, the film invites us to see August 28 not as a coincidence, but as a lens on resilience, struggle, and triumph in the African American experience.

As partners with the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture in commemorating its 10th anniversary, we offer this screening as a space for reflection, conversation, and a renewed sense of shared history and hope.

REFLECT & RESPOND

As you sit with the film, we invite you to reflect on the following questions, on your own or in conversation with others:

Which moment in the film moved you most—1833, 1955, 1963, 2005, or 2008—and why do you think it resonated with you?

In what ways does this film change, deepen, or affirm your understanding of Black history as an ongoing story rather than a series of isolated events?

After watching, what responsibility—or opportunity—do you feel to carry these histories forward in your own life, family, or community?

Thank you for honoring this history with us. May the stories and voices in August 28: A Day in the Life of a People continue to inform how we remember, how we act, and how we imagine a more just future.