Smithsonian groundbreaker to present Spriggs Lecture
In honoring history, Dr. Lonnie Bunch is creating it.

On island this week, Lonnie Bunch is the director of the Smithsonian's new African American History Museum

Director of the Smithsonian Museum's new Museum of African American History of Art and Culture, Bunch arrives on island this week to present the annual Frank and Bette Spriggs Lecture, which celebrates the couple's extensive work preserving the history of the African Americans on Nantucket.

Bunch will talk about the art of global fundraising, the need for more research of African American history and the role local history institutions play in the part of building this institution.

The director first took a position with the museum in 1978, when he became an education specialist at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

He's held several positions with the museum, including Supervising Curator at the American History Museum (1989-1992), assistant director for curatorial affairs at the American History museum (1992-1994) and the National Museum of American History's associate director for curatorial affairs (1994-2000).

He left the Smithsonian to serve as the president of the Chicago Historical Society for four years before being recruited to develop the African American History Museum.

Congress approved the museum in 2003.

Now in it's second year, the lecture has been "an opporunity to thank Frank and Bette, especially Bette, for everything they've done for the meeting house and in keeping us connected with the community," said the African Meeting House's island representative Sharon Liburd.

Located on the corner of York and Pleasant streets, the African Meeting House is the renovated and historic site of the first Baptist church on Nantucket. Boston's Museum of African American History bought and renovated

the site over 15 years ago. I
When: Tues, July 31, 6 p.m.
(lecture) and 7:30 p.m. (reception)
Where: African Meeting House,
29 Year Street
(lecture); Nantucket High School hall of
flags (reception)
Cost: Free and open to the public
For more information or to reserve a place
at the reception, please call the
African meeting House at 228-9833