Description: Adela Gómez, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, 1945-83, spent the majority of her years at the Smithsonian as a special administrative assistant to the director. In 1977, she was presented with the Smithsonian Institution Secretary’s Gold Medal for Exceptional Service. #Groundbreaker
Description: The Smithsonian African American Association was formed in 1989 and was an assembly of the Institution's employees who have organized to project a united voice, to have an impact upon pan-institutional policies that affect African Americans, and to convey these concerns to the Smithsonian Administration.