Hidden among the plethora of museums in Washington, D.C., is the African American Civil War Museum, where we found a national treasure in the personage of Hari Jones. The breadth and depth of his knowledge of the Civil War, and particularly the role of African Americans in North Carolina, is amazing. His presentation was thorough and well researched, and was an impassioned explanation of Civil War history that we had either taken for granted or never even considered. This transformative encounter happened only because a last-minute schedule change landed us at exactly the right place at exactly the right time. As one member of our group said later, "This chance encounter with Hari was almost providential." We all agreed we had to have Hari come to Fayetteville to speak. Thanks to the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex Foundation, he's doing just that at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre on Hay Street. Admission is free.
So, what were we doing in Washington in the first place?
The Civil War Museum Planning Committee is part of a statewide committee that is working to transform what is now the small, regionally focused Museum of the Cape Fear into something much bigger and with a much greater reach: the nation's first state-supported museum that interprets the Civil War and its aftermath. Not a small undertaking.
During this trip, we looked at a half-dozen museums, each of which was carefully selected for what it might teach us - lessons, good and bad, for the museum we are planning here in Fayetteville. While we learned a lot about museums, the three of us agreed that Hari Jones was one of our greatest finds.
Why? Because, more than any one thing we saw or experienced, Hari spoke to why this new museum could be so important to our city, county, region and state.
No one disputes that the Civil War and its aftermath were some of the most cataclysmic events ever to befall Fayetteville, the state of North Carolina, and the nation. The results of our national conflict helped to build a better America, but those results continue to echo that more work needs to be done to build a "more perfect union." But like any great event, people can take away different and sometimes contrary lessons. Black, white, American Indian, male and female all have a "narrative" of what the Civil War was all about. Hari Jones will challenge you to at least rethink your narrative, especially as it relates to the role of the African American during and after the war. As one of us likes to say, "It's the Civil War as you have never heard it before."
Hari Jones is assistant director and curator of the African American Civil War Museum in Washington. He is a regular contributor to the History Channel and a consultant to the Smithsonian, and he has spoken to groups ranging from the esteemed Civil War Preservation Trust to major universities across the country. He has advised the National Park Service, the Public Broadcasting System and other national organizations on Civil War history. His passion is also rooted in the fact that he is a proud former Marine intelligence officer.
We invite you to share the evening of Oct. 1 with Hari Jones, the three of us and other members of the planning committee, and many local residents who want to know more about the Civil War and about what a much broader version of the new Civil War Museum will mean to our community.
We promise you a thought-provoking, mind-expanding and thoroughly entertaining experience.
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