 Hello I'm Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Welcome to today's to today's fashion, culture and future symposia, hosted by Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. We're thrilled you're joining us today to explore new perspectives on how African American ingenuity, activism and storytelling manifests through fashion. The history of fashion and the history of race are closely intertwined. I think of that George C. Wolfe quotation, God created black people and black people created style. Black style, black culture, black design, black creativity, all these have changed the trajectory of our country's relationship to fashion. Yet despite the enormous influence of communities of color, we still see a pervasive lack of representation across race, gender and body type in the fashion industry. Negative stereotypes persist in media, advertising and design. And the fashion industry itself includes a troubling lack of diversity, especially in its positions of power, fashion designers, publicists, stylists and editors in chief. These issues are not unique to fashion, but fashion is an essential area to explore these issues because it shapes our daily lives in ways that often remain unexamined. Fashion is so much more than a clothes we wear. It shapes the way we view, understand and respond to each other. It reveals our sense of self, our values, our relationships to communities. At the Smithsonian, we know that we cannot shy away from difficult or controversial topics. Though the issues that today's symposium bring to light are challenging, we must confront them if we want to understand race in America. And in so many ways, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Cooper Hewitt are ideal places for these conversations. These museums can provide context, can illuminate the nuances of history and can bring together people of different experiences and backgrounds. These exchanges are not always comfortable, nor should they be, but they are urgent and productive. In this way, the fashion culture's future symposia is a vital part of our Smithsonian-wide commitment to be the institution that Americans need and deserves. An institution that encourages intellectual curiosity, an institution that embraces complexity and difference, an institution that invites all voices in to join the conversation, an institution that equips audience with the tools they need to make their country better. Thank you and please enjoy today's program. Hello, I'm Ruki Novald Ravikmar and I'm the acting director of Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Cooper Hewitt is America's Design Museum. Housed in the landmark Andrew Carnegie Mansion in New York, Cooper Hewitt is the steward of one of the most diverse and comprehensive design collections in existence, with more than 215,000 design objects spanning 30 centuries. From ancient textiles and works on paper to icons of modern design and cutting-edge technologies, Cooper Hewitt's collection serves as inspiration for creative work of all kinds and tells the story of design's importance in improving our world. Our groundbreaking exhibitions demonstrate the power of design to solve problems, transform lives, and understand history. Understanding the world through design, we better understand ourselves. I'm pleased to welcome you today to Fashion, Cultures, Futures, African American Ingenuity, Activism, and Storytelling. The first of our two-part symposium co-organized with the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, presented virtually today and Thursday, October 21st, both programs will bring together academics, designers, critics, models, artists, activists, and others to share new perspectives on the relationship between fashion and the African American experience. For today's symposium, we will tackle the complex network of artists, innovators, and image-makers that influence the field of fashion. Inspired by Cooper Hewitt's current exhibition, Willie Smith's Street Couture, and Smith's efforts to use fashion to express broader ideas about representation, inclusion, and diversity, today's program will illuminate how African American creatives are leading innovation and change within the contemporary fashion system. During his 20-year career, Willie Smith united fashion and American culture, marrying affordable, adaptable basics with avant-garde performance, film, art, and design. Smith hoped to solve what he called the problem of getting dressed, or the lack of control fashion afforded the everyday person, by using clothing as a tool for the liberation of stereotypes around race, class, sex, and gender, and bringing art into the mainstream. The exhibition is also accompanied by the publication Willie Smith's Street Couture, which features recollections of those who knew Willie Smith personally, such as Beth Ann Hardison and Stephen Burroughs, and essays by leading figures from the worlds of fashion, art, architecture, and cultural studies, paired with newly resurfaced images and ephemera. The publication is essential reading for the history of streetwear culture and the evolution of fashion from the 1970s to today. Also, available online is the Willie Smith Community Archive, a digital archive to honor the life and innovations of Willie Smith. All of the rich research that went into this exhibition, book, and archive have greatly influenced today's symposium and its multidisciplinary nature. I am thrilled to say that after being closed for over a year, we have just reopened our doors to welcome back visitors to the museum. I am so pleased to share that all visitors will enjoy free admission through October 31st, made possible by support from the museum's Board of Trustees. I hope you will be able to join us in person to experience the exhibition Willie Smith Street Couture. Mark your calendars for October 21st for the second part of our symposium, presented by the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This program will explore the inspirational ways that African Americans have and will continue to redefine the fashion industry. I would like to thank the One Smithsonian Initiative for enabling Cooper Hewitt and the National Museum of African American History and Culture to convene these exceptional speakers today. I'd also like to express my deepest gratitude to our partners who supported both the symposium and the Willie Smith exhibition that inspired it. Huge thanks to the Keith Herring Foundation for helping us bring Willie's story to life, to Gucci for making this pipe dream a reality, and to Target for their long-standing support of Cooper Hewitt and the power of design. Thank you all for advocating for inclusivity in design. Next in our day is a dynamic presentation by Zariah Cern University Assistant Professor of Fashion Studies, Kimberly Jenkins. A leading voice on the intersection of fashion and race who will track the historical and political influence of African Americans on the fashion system. Jenkins is best known for designing a course and exhibition called Fashion and Race and has shared her insights globally in fashion forums and institutions. She's also the founder of the acclaimed Fashion and Race Database, an online platform that expands the narrative of fashion history and challenges misrepresentation within the fashion system. With that said, on behalf of Cooper Hewitt, I hope you enjoy today's program.