Next time you visit the American Adventure pavilion inside Walt Disney World's Epcot, you'll walk away a whole lot smarter and, possibly, more empowered.

For an undisclosed amount of time, Epcot is the new home of a private collection that was once seen in the Smithsonian. It's called “Re-Discovering America: Family Treasures from the Kinsey Collection." Through rare art, documents, and a variety of artifacts, theme park guests will journey through 400 years of African-American contribution and achievement.

Walt Disney World put on a heck of a breakfast celebration on grand opening day. Guests-of-honor included Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, their son Khalil, and "Grey's Anatomy" actors Chandra Wilson & James Pickens Jr., who provided narration for guest-activated lanterns throughout the gallery.

Before we share a portion of our interview with Shirley Kinsey, let's talk about the food! For the gallery's grand opening event, the following dishes were prepared as directed in Abby Fisher’s cookbook published in 1881. (We've also included the recipes for you to try out):

Breakfast Cream Cake

Four eggs beat light, one gill of cream to a tea-cup of sweet milk, one pint of flour, sifted, half teaspoonful of salt; mix cream, milk, and eggs together, well stirred, then add flour gradually until thoroughly mixed. Have your baking cups hot when put to bake. Requires ten minutes to bake in hot oven.

Cream Apple Pie

The best of apples to be used. Two pounds of apples, use a gill of water; put on fire to steam till the apples will mash perfectly fine and soft; sweeten to taste and let them cool. Season with powdered cinnamon – one-half teaspoon of the best. Have one crust of pastry only, and that at the bottom of plate; fill plate with the fruit, then bake quickly in a hot oven. Take one pint of fresh cream, sweetened to taste; beat the white of five eggs light, and add to the cream; flavor with vanilla. Beat the cream lightly before adding the eggs, then with a spoon spread over pies on sending to table.

Strawberry Jam

Must have fresh berries that are not running. Squeeze the juice from the berries through a clean linen cloth, then add one-half pint of sugar to every pint of juice and put on to boil in a porcelain kettle, and when it boils as thick as honey add the berries that you squeezed the juice from to the syrup and let it continue to boil until it gets as thick as mush, when it will be cooked enough. You can put it up in glasses or jars; put paper on the top wet with brandy, and then cover and put in a dark place. Use granulated sugar.

Cherry Chutney

Get your cherries and seed them; to one gallon half dozen silver skin onions chopped fine, first put the onions to cook in half gallon of vinegar, 10 minutes, then add the cherries, season with two ounces of ground cinnamon, one teaspoonful of cayenne pepper and one of black pepper, two tablespoonfuls of salt, then let it continue to cook with a slow fire, twelve hours, stir it occasionally, to keep from burning.

Circuit Hash

One dozen tomatoes, one quart of butter beans, one dozen ears of corn cut off from cob, quarter pound of lean and fat pork cut in fine pieces, if pork is not liked, use two tablespoonfuls of butter; put in a sauce-pan and stew one hour.
Note. Five minutes before dinner put in the corn to cook with the rest of stew.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Cut the tops off tomatoes, hollow the inside, and mix the inside that you take out with chopped up ham; bread crumbs or crackers powdered, butter, salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the tomatoes full and replace the top close. Put them in a pan to bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes.

Here's part of our interview with Shirley Kinsey. You can watch the entire chat in the VIDEO SECTION up top, including a separate conversation with her son, Khalil:

ALLISON WALKER: How cool is this for you to be here and see this come to life?

SHIRLEY KINSEY: This is really pretty cool! Being a Florida girl, Disney World was not here when I grew up here, so I always say, to be able to leave home and come back and wind up at Disney World is more than wonderful. This is a place where magic happens. This is truly a magical experience being here with the collection housed at [Epcot].

AW: Your son inspired this. Tell me about the birth of this fantastic collection.

SK: Bernard and I traveled a lot early on in our marriage. So we collected items from other cultures anyway. So at some point, we said we had to know more about our own culture. When our son [Khalil] was born, you really want to know more about who you are so you can tell him about who he is. That really was the genesis of it. When he was about in 3rd grade and had to do that family history report, things really kind of came in focus then because when you -- that just by calling home was not enough; to talk to the grandparents and find out information was not enough. So we delved into learning more about our collective ancestors -- the shoulders that we're standing on, the people who helped contribute to America and helped build this country. My husband Bernard is a historian just by nature, and once he delves into something, it's like full-force. That's truly how we got to this point.

I like people to understand that we didn't start out to have a collection to be in museums and to be in a gallery here at Epcot. You know, you don't start out doing that. So it has just grown. It has been a tremendous, amazing, amazing journey.

AW: Of all the contributions portrayed in the collection, which one are you most proud of?

SK: Oh wow. And this one's very personal to me, OK. It's a contribution mainly to my immediate family I should say, but its representative in everybody's life and family. There's a sewing machine that's here on display which was my grandmother's. I grew up with my grandmother in St. Augustine. During the time when I was growing up, you couldn't go in stores and try on clothes because it was segregation time. So Momma made our clothes. She made families clothes. She made neighborhood kids' clothes. And so for me to have inherited her sewing machine that was built in the 1900's, is very special to have it on display here. Her full name is there. When you walk by, you'll see her full name. And that's really, really, really special to me. As a matter of fact, when I walked in this morning, I looked at it and was like, 'Oh dear. She's looking down, sayin, 'Honey. This is it. This is it."

Walt Disney World's official press release:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Guests to the American Adventure pavilion at Epcot can journey “between the pages” of history at a new art exhibit representing over 400 years of African-American achievement and contribution.

“Re-Discovering America: Family Treasures from the Kinsey Collection,” which opened March 8, draws from an extensive collection of rare art, documents, books and artifacts amassed by philanthropists Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, who share a passion for African-American history.

Their private collection has been displayed throughout the U.S., including in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Approximately 40 pieces will be on display for Epcot guests at any given time on a rotating basis during the exhibit run.

“We always wanted to extend the reach of the Collection to a larger, more international and diverse audience,” explained Bernard Kinsey. “So we are delighted to be collaborating with Disney to share the stories of our remarkable ancestors.”

Overseeing the collection is the Kinseys’ son, Khalil, whose school-age curiosity about the Kinsey family tree inspired his parents to build their collection.

The exhibit – themed to hope, belief, courage, imagination and heritage – provides optimistic and empowering stories from American history from voices that are not commonly seen or heard. Art and artifacts pay homage to African-Americans who helped build and transform a nation. Their stories of determination and courage, from the nation’s early days to the present, are at the heart of the exhibit.

To enrich the immersive storytelling experience of the exhibit, Walt Disney Imagineers added interactive displays in which Epcot guests can deepen their knowledge of the American heritage that the Kinsey holdings represent. Epcot guests will be able to use touch screens placed throughout the exhibit to further explore the art, artifacts and history. Guest-activated lanterns will help bring the history to life, with narration provided by Academy Award-winner Whoopi Goldberg (“The View”), Diane Sawyer (“ABC World News with Diane Sawyer”), and actors Chandra Wilson & James Pickens, Jr. (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Kerry Washington (“Scandal”), Zendaya Coleman & Roshon Fegan (“Shake It Up”), China Anne McClain (“A.N.T. Farm”), Tyrel Jackson Williams (“Lab Rats”).

“We are thrilled to bring the Kinsey Collection to Epcot guests,” said Jim MacPhee, senior vice president, Walt Disney World Parks. “Epcot is such a rich cultural tapestry that it serves as the perfect showcase for this powerful collection, with its celebration of the human spirit.”

Among highlights of each themed gallery:

HOPE

By age 19, Phillis Wheatley became internationally known as the first African-American ever to publish a book of poetry (1773). She wrote poetry about hope and freedom and is now known as The Mother of African American Literature. (Document on display: Phyllis Wheatley’s first book).
Other Hope Gallery highlights: Samuel Francis Smith, My Country ‘Tis of Thee lyrics (1895); “Untitled,” Hughie Lee Smith (1951); Almanack, Benjamin Banneker (1796)

COURAGE

Harriet Jacobs, an enslaved young black woman often called an “American Anne Frank” stayed seven years in a tiny attic until she could escape to freedom. She later chronicled her story in an autobiography. (Document on display: Harriet Jacobs’ book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, 1862)
Other Courage Gallery highlights: Sea Island Woman, fiber art, Bisa Butler (2006); Loss, sculpture, Michael Chukes (1998);

BELIEF

In 1870, only seven years after Emancipation, Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African-American to represent Mississippi in the U.S. Senate. Josiah Walls became the first African-American to represent Florida in the House of Representatives. (Document on display: “Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels Cabinet Card Photograph”)
Other Belief Gallery highlights: Buffalo Soldiers Parade Flag (1889); What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, Abby Fisher (1881); A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, Matthew Henson book (1912) and article.

IMAGINATION

Alain Locke not only became the first African-American Rhodes scholar in 1907, but his book “The New Negro” helped inspire the Harlem Renaissance, a period in American culture that produced artists, musicians, writers and thinkers that showed the world how American greatness comes from all of its citizens. (Document on display: The Negro in Art, by Alain Locke).
Other Imagination Gallery highlights: Harmon Foundation Catalogs (1931-1935); American Beach Negro Ocean Playground, Florida – Steel plaque (1930); “Untitled” (Kadir Nelson, 1992)

HERITAGE

History can be shared through many types of artifacts. Sometimes it’s as simple as a timeworn letter written by Carrie Kinsey (Bernard’s cousin) to President Roosevelt. Or an old sewing machine passed down through generations by Shirley’s grandmother, Susie Plummer Pooler. (Document on display: “Letter to President Roosevelt,” by Carrie Kinsey)
Other Heritage Gallery highlights: Bill of Sale-William Johnson (1832); Schedule of Over 500 Slaves (1820); Sewing Machine (1900), Susie Plummer Pooler

The American Adventure pavilion is in the heart of the World Showcase area of Epcot. “Re-Discovering America: Family Treasures from the Kinsey Collection” is included in Epcot admission. For more: http://thekinseycollection.com