Ever find yourself at a museum wondering about who chose the artifacts and wrote the captions? We spoke with Mary Elliott, a museum specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Along with her colleague Nancy Bercaw, Elliott has worked years on a massive exhibit that explores the global history of slavery and the makings of America.
And in a *Slate Plus extra, Mary Elliott tells us more about the family history research that began her career. Start your two-week free trial at *slate.com/workingplus.
Email: [**working@slate.com
](mailto:working@slate.com "")Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan
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Community banks are making a comeback. Eight groups have filed applications in recent months with the FDIC to open new banks. That's not a lot, but it signals a positive trend, according to Rachel Witkowski, reporter for the Wall Street Journal.
5 Min
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Republicans want to deliver a major legislative victory before the country heads to the ballot box next year. At this point tax reform looks like the most likely way to achieve that, but how? WSJ's Richard Rubin reports from Washington.
5 Min
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