Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Atlanta Art Week Event:
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture| Westside
Monday, September 30 1:30 PM and 7:00 PM
About: The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture’s Center for the Study of African American Religious Life is partnering with Atlanta Art Week 2024 to present free screenings of the Museum’s film, gOD-Talk. gOD-Talk is the first featured film produced by the National Museum of African American History & Culture in association with the Pew Research Center. The film is the culmination project of our five-year study on Black millennials and faith. gOD-Talk follows the lives of seven Black millennials (Christians, Muslims, Ifa, Buddhist, Atheist, and Spiritualist), and how they are reimagining faith in the 21st century.
gOD-Talk is the culmination project of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture Center for the Study of African American Religious Life, in association with the Pew Research Center, five-year study of Black Millennials. The featured length film explores the lives of seven Black Millennials—Atheist, Buddhist, Christians, Muslim, Ifa, and Spiritualist—and the challenges and discoveries with faith and spirituality.
According to the 2021 “Faith Among Black Americans Survey” conducted by the Pew Research Center, American millennials—persons born between the years 1981 and 1996—are less religious than older Americans. While millennials are less likely to ascribe to traditional forms of religious observance, the study maintains that they remain religious, nonetheless. With the rise of the “spiritual but not religious” designation has come the overall decline of participation in mainline religious traditions for Americans. While the decline in Black religious communities has not been as drastic as White communities, there are still lingering questions concerning the relevance, mission, and overall purpose of organized religion in the 21st century for Black American Millennials.
From issues pertaining to gender and sexuality, abuse and trauma, hip-hop culture and music, gentrification, race and racism, patriarchy, and more, the film explores a rising phenomenon of religious and spiritual shifts among the largest generation and one of the most influential demographics in the U.S, Black Millennials.
About the Smithsonian: The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 40,000 artifacts and nearly 300,000 individuals have become members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th museum of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is based in Washington DC. https://nmaahc.si.edu. | @NMAAHC