American University Professor Natalie Hopkinson just helped open the nation’s first go-go music museum in Southeast.
The museum held its soft opening Nov. 18 in Anacostia. Guests got to tour the museum’s two floors of exhibits displaying go-go history, artifacts and artwork commemorating go-go’s most legendary icons.
Museum exhibit commemorating go-go music legend Chuck Brown.
American University Professor Natalie Hopkinson spearheaded the construction of each exhibit as the museum’s chief curator. Hopkinson first moved to Washington in the mid-nineties as a student studying at Howard University. Soon after her arrival, she promptly fell in love with Washington culture, particularly go-go.
“It’s a place that uplifts Black perspectives, Black voices, Black culture, Black history and Black identity,” Hopkinson said. “You never feel unseen. You always feel like you matter. I feel like the music is an expression of that”
Go-go is a genre of music native to Washington known for its heavy percussion. It first emerged in the 1970s as a blend of jazz, soul and funk. Over time, renowned bands like Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers helped go-go become synonymous with Chocolate City and Washington, DC culture.
The music resonated with Hopkinson so much that she decided to make it the subject of her dissertation to obtain her doctorate. During the pandemic, Hopkinson co-founded the Don’t Mute DC movement, which helped combat Black displacement and protect go-go music in the district amidst gentrification. She also played a critical role in advocating for the Go-Go Official Music of the District of Columbia Act, which made go-go the official music of Washington
“I am absolutely just thrilled to see this happen,” Professor Hopkinson said. “To be able to go from writing articles, to doing a dissertation, to being involved in the activist movement around the music, to opening a museum around it, is just something that is outside the realm of what I even imagined. I can’t even say it’s a dream because I couldn’t even dream of this…I’m very grateful.”
The opening also featured performances from local go-go bands and appearances by several prominent Washington public figures, including Mayor Muriel Bowser and City Councilmember Robert White.
“I grew up in DC. Go-go is part of my culture,” Councilmember White said. “It’s part of my lifeblood, so seeing come to life has been phenomenal as a DC resident and as a council member.”
Guests browsing the museum’s basement floor.
The museum also boasts a couple of unique attractions in the form of a tour bus with a built in stage performance stage and a recording studio in the basement where go-go bands will be able to record live music. The museum officially opens its doors to the public in February.
