The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), in partnership with Metro Nashville Public Works, has adopted a street in downtown Nashville to deepen its connection with its home in Music City.

NMAAM will be responsible for four blocks of historic Jefferson Street in Nashville. Through the Adopt-A-Street program, the museum will host street cleanups throughout the year once social distancing mandates have been lifted.

Similar to NMAAM, Jefferson Street is rooted in the preservation of black music and history. It stretches from the historically black Tennessee State University to Fisk University, where the Fisk Jubilee Singers were founded.

Metro Nashville Public Works’ Adopt-A-Street program is a way for organizations and businesses to help keep Nashville beautiful and show pride in the surrounding community. This effort is in conjunction with the Tennessee Department of Transportation and its Nobody Trashes Tennessee campaign.

“Jefferson Street is the musical heartbeat of this city,” said H. Beecher Hicks, III, president and CEO of NMAAM. “Becoming stewards of such an important part of African American culture in Music City is humbling and is a responsibility we do not take lightly. Nashville is growing every day, and we want to show that we are here, not only to educate and entertain, but to support the community we live in.”

NMAAM is currently under construction in the heart of downtown Nashville at the Fifth + Broadway development and expects to open in September 2020.