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"America I AM" Travels to Union Station in October

A traveling exhibition, exploring 500 years of African-American history, from slavery to the present-day, is coming to Union Station this fall.

By Laura Spencer

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-982777.mp3

Kansas City, Mo. – A traveling exhibition, exploring 500 years of African-American history, from slavery to the present-day, is coming to Union Station this fall. KCUR's Laura Spencer reports.

"America I AM: The African American Imprint" provides a survey of the black experience through music, documents, photos, and multimedia. There are more than 200 historic and personal objects, including the arrest fingerprints of Rosa Parks, a jersey worn by Jackie Robinson, and one of Prince's purple guitars.

Union Station spokesman Tony Cook says the exhibition begins with a poignant reminder of the past.

"The chronological trip from standing there at the Cape Coast Castle doors in Guyana, where you would have entered on to a slave ship, all the way up to the last room that has the memorabilia," says Cook.

The exhibition, "America I AM," was developed by television and radio broadcaster Tavis Smiley, and organized by the Cincinnati Museum Center, and Arts and Exhibitions International (AEI). Kansas City is one of 10 stops on the four-year tour.

"America I AM: The African American Imprint"
Bank of America Grand Gallery at Union Station
October 22, 2010 to January 8, 2011

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Kansas City is known for its style of jazz, influenced by the blues, as the home of Walt Disney’s first animation studio and the headquarters of Hallmark Cards. As one of KCUR’s arts reporters, I want people here to know a wide range of arts and culture stories from across the metropolitan area. I take listeners behind the scenes and introduce them to emerging artists and organizations, as well as keep up with established institutions. Send me an email at lauras@kcur.org or follow me on Twitter @lauraspencer.
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