February 23, 2012
by Jamaal Abdul-Alim
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a
project hailed as a milestone in the nation’s history, President Obama joined
celebrities, political luminaries and scholars Wednesday for the symbolic
groundbreaking of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“This is a milestone moment not only for the Smithsonian
but for the United States,” said actress Phylicia Rashad, who served as
mistress of ceremonies.
"Today, we take the first step in creating an iconic
building that will house something truly wonderful,” Rashad said. “A museum
with the power to change hearts and minds and ultimately the nation.”
President Obama — who along with first lady Michelle Obama
stayed on stage inside a tent at the site for almost the entire duration of the
nearly two-hour event — said it was fitting that the museum found a home on the
National Mall, a place that has witnessed events that range from the slave
trade to the 1963 historic March on Washington.
“It was here that the pillars of our democracy were
built, often by Black hands,” Obama said of the museum site, which is within
the shadow of the Washington Monument.
“And it is on this spot — alongside the monuments to
those who gave birth to this nation, and those who worked so hard to perfect it
— that generations will remember the sometimes difficult, often inspirational,
but always central role that African-Americans have played in the life of our
country,” Obama said.
When the museum opens — as it is set to do in late 2015
— Obama said he hopes it will lead
future generations to not see African-American history as something separate
from the larger American story.
“I want them to see it as central — an important part of
our shared story,” he said. “A call to see ourselves in one another.”
Wednesday’s ceremony represents the culmination of work
that began when the National Museum of African American History and Culture was
created by an act of Congress in 2003.
“My husband, President George Bush, was proud to sign it
into law,” said former first lady Laura Bush, who serves on the council
established to advise the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents on various issues
relative to the museum, including its planning, construction and
administration.
The former first lady said it was fitting that the museum
be near the monument to the nation’s first president, whom she said fought for
liberty and “recognized the evils of bondage” by decreeing in his will that all
of his slaves should be set free.
The museum, which is operating on a budget of $15 million
in fiscal 2012 and $75 million for construction, is being overseen by director
Lonnie G. Bunch III.
It currently has some 25,000 artifacts — some of which
are already on travelling exhibitions — shackles and bills of sale from the
slave trade, Nat Turner’s Bible, Harriet Tubman’s hymn book, Louis Armstrong’s
trumpet and Muhammad Ali’s headgear.
Dr. Richard Kurin, undersecretary for history, art, and
culture at the Smithsonian Institution, noted how during the abolitionist era,
the first secretary of the Smithsonian, Joseph Henry, refused to allow the
great abolitionist orator Frederick Douglass to speak in a series of lectures
the institution was hosting.
“He said, ‘I will not allow a Black man to speak in the
rooms of the Smithsonian,’” Kurin recalled. “The irony is Secretary Henry’s
most reliable staff member was Solomon Brown.” Brown was the first
African-American employee at the Smithsonian, who worked in museum positions
that ranged from general laborer to mapmaker.
“We can’t change what he said, but we can correct it,”
Kurin said of the role of the new museum. “Frederick Douglass’ words will be
heard within the rooms of the Smithsonian.”
Congressman John Lewis, D-Ga., sponsor of the legislation
that created the museum, called the museum the “substance of things hoped for
and validation of our dreams.”
“We must tell the story, the whole story, 400 years of
African-American contributions to this nation’s history, from slavery to the
present, without anger or apology,” Lewis said. “Make it plain, make it clear
that there’s still a great deal of pain that needs to be healed. Stories told
in this building can speak the truth that has the power to set an entire nation
free.”
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