Joanne Hyppolite

Joanne Hyppolite is a curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) with expertise in African American and African diaspora material and expressive culture.  She is the curator of the Cultural Expressions inaugural exhibition and co-curator of A Century in the Making: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture inaugural exhibit for the NMAAHC. Cultural Expressions features a section on Felix Morrisseau-Leroy and his contribution to legitimizing the Haitian Creole language.

Prior to joining the Smithsonian, Dr. Hyppolite was the Chief Curator at History Miami Museum from 2008 to 2014, where she curated the exhibitions Black Crossroads: The African Diaspora in Miami; Haitian Community Arts; Rob Storter: Art of the Everglades; Necropolis Cristobal Colon: Photographs by Raul Rodriguez and Black Freedom in Florida.  She holds a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Miami, an M.A. in African American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and a B.A. in English and Afro American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Born in Haiti, Joanne moved to the United States when she was four years old and grew up in Boston. Her family hails from Les Cayes and Port-au-Prince.