The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC is now open. (USA Today)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Saturday, September 24th, 2016
New York (TADIAS) — Today the grand opening dedication ceremony for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture takes place in Washington, D.C.
“The new museum, first proposed by a group of black Civil War veterans in 1915, officially opens Saturday in a central location on Washington’s National Mall — among war memorials and cultural institutions, with a clear sight line to the U.S. Capitol,” VOA reports.
“The historic significance of the newest and 19th Smithsonian museum – and its importance to all Americans – will make it an unprecedented local, national and international event unlike any other opening of a cultural institution in America or globally in recent memory,” states the museum on its website. “The National Museum of African American History and Culture will be a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives and how it helped us shape this nation. A place that transcends the boundaries of race and culture that divide us, and becomes a lens into a story that unites us all.”
The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. (Photo: NMAAHC)
Filled with exhibits and artifacts telling the story of the first Africans in the United States and their descendants, the 400,000-square-foot museum will open to the public on September 24. (ABC News)
The founding director of the new Museum, Lonnie Bunch, says “We felt it was crucial to craft a museum that would help America remember and confront, confront its tortured racial past.” At a press conference announcing the grand opening this weekend Bunch added: “But we also thought while America should ponder the pain of slavery and segregation, it also had to find the joy, the hope, the resiliency, the spirituality that was endemic in this community.”
Civil Rights pioneer Rosa Parks’ dress is on display in the concourse galleries at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)
Michael Jackson’s fedora is one of the items on display in a new exhibit about how the Apollo Theater shaped American entertainment, at the National Museum of American History in Washington. D.C. (AP photo)
A statue of the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute is on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. (AP photo)
1968 Olympic warm-up suit worn by Tommie Smith. (Photo: Photo: NMAAHC)
President Barack Obama Hand-painted banner for Obama presidential campaign 2008 that was modified after 2008 Election results is part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of African American History & Culture. (Photo: NMAAHC)
Muhammad Ali Headgear, Fifth Street Gym.
And on Friday President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a reception at the White House, which according to VOA was “attended by many of the museum’s contributors” and “was the kickoff event in a weekend of festivities, as the museum opens its doors and throws an outdoor festival as well, to accommodate overflow crowds.” In his remarks the President said: “..the point is that all of us cannot forget that the only reason that we’re standing here is because somebody, somewhere stood up for us. Stood up when it was risky. Stood up when it was not popular. And somehow, standing up together, managed to change the world. He added: “The timing of this is fascinating. In so many ways, it is the best of times. But in many ways, these are also troubled times. History doesn’t always move in a straight line. And without vigilance, we can go backward as well as forward.”
Video: Exclusive: Obamas Tour National Museum of African American History and Culture (ABC News)
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