Johanna Obenda is a cultural practitioner, curator, and educator. She is currently a Researcher and Exhibition Development Specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). Johanna earned a B.A. in History from the University of Alabama and a M.A. in Public Humanities from Brown University where she was the Graduate
Fellow at the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. She has held a fellowship at the Yale University Art Gallery and internships at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At NMAAHC, Johanna is contributing to research and exhibition development for an upcoming traveling exhibition on the history of global slavery and its contemporary resonances, bringing her commitment to highlighting diverse narratives of the African diaspora, responsible storytelling, and museum education pedagogy to the curatorial process.