Volunteer Spotlight: Kwanzaa Nivens

Nikolas Wong introduces us to Kwanzaa Nivens, who brings empathy and compassion to visitors experiencing the powerful emotions some exhibitions evoke.

From the arrival of slave ships to the election of the first African American president of the United States, the Smithsonian’s newest addition on the Mall, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, tells the story of American history through the African American lens by way of life, community, and culture. Sharing important events with visitors appropriately takes truly passionate volunteers like Kwanzaa Nivens, a volunteer Visitor Services Advocate at the museum.

Kwanzaa Nivens is a volunteer for the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Kwanzaa was among the first group of visitor services volunteers to join the museum in 2016. She loves connecting with visitors throughout the museum’s eight floors of exhibit space, and especially transporting them back in time to the 1400s, where the journey from slavery to freedom begins.

“The most rewarding part about my volunteer work is engaging with people from all walks of life, who desire a deeper understanding of the ongoing plight and resilience of African Americans,” she says.

Every exhibit offers an opportunity for Kwanzaa to connect with visitors over their shared thoughts and reflections, but the one exhibit she says draws the strongest connection is the Emmett Till Memorial. “There are no words to explain my feelings when visitors walk out of the exhibit, stop at the display case containing the Jet magazine photo of Emmett’s body, and whisper to me, many with tears in their eyes, ‘I get it.’”

Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African American boy who was murdered after being accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi in 1955. His story was a heartbreaking experience for Kwanzaa; one that would shape her into the strong and passionate advocate she is today.

While taking the Metro bus with her grandmother, six-year-old Kwanzaa saw a passenger reading a copy of Jet magazine and was saddened by its cover, which featured a disfigured person lying in a coffin. It wasn’t until she was in high school that Kwanzaa learned the story behind the picture. “My teacher put the face to the name, and I realized that the image on the cover of the Jet magazine was a Black child from Chicago named Emmett Till, who looked like me… I think I went home and cried after school that day.”

This experience helps Kwanzaa guide visitors to the exhibit with empathy and compassion. Her most memorable experience with a visitor was her interaction with Mr. Johnny Frazier, a Greenville, Mississippi, native who grew up during the time of Emmett Till’s murder—a catalyst of the Civil Right movement. Kwanzaa understood Mr. Frazier’s desire to visit Till’s casket and escorted him to the exhibit. Mr. Frazier was instantly touched by her kindness and the floodgate of emotion that the exhibit releases. “He was in tears coming out of the Emmett Till Memorial,” Kwanzaa recounts. “It is an exhibit that truly touches the hearts of all people.”

In addition to her volunteer work at NMAAHC, Kwanzaa is an active volunteer at the Central Union Mission, a volunteer at the White House, and a trained docent at the Museum of the Bible. She balances all of these responsibilities alongside her full-time career as a senior management and program analyst for the federal government.

Kwanzaa attributes her interest in volunteerism to her grandparents. “On evenings and weekends, my grandmother volunteered from sunrise to sunset with her church. My grandfather was an Army Vet, who I accompanied on numerous volunteer excursions on Andrews Air Force Base, now called Joint Base Andrews.”

Today, Kwanzaa continues to guide visitors through the museum’s powerful exhibits, where she keenly shares tales of adversity and resilience among pivotal moments in African American history.

Kwanzaa Nivens

In memory of Emmett Till (1941-1955), who helped shape Kwanzaa into a passionate volunteer and champion of African American History.

Nikolas Wong is a Digital Communications Strategist and FossiLab volunteer. He is the author of two books, using both to lead advocacy campaigns across the state of Florida.

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