President Barack Obama yesterday heralded the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, an institution dedicated to the many threads of black history and achievement.
The first black president of the United States cut the ribbon to inaugurate the striking 37,000sq m bronze-clad edifice before thousands of spectators who had gathered in the nation’s capital to witness the historic opening.
“Beyond the majesty of the building, what makes this occasion so special is the larger story it contains,” said Obama — just a few months before he leaves office — at the star-studded public ceremony that included the likes of Stevie Wonder and Oprah Winfrey.
“African-American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story. It’s not the underside of the American story,” he said.
“It is central to the American story.”
The Smithsonian’s 19th and latest addition to its sprawling museum and research complex is the first national museum tasked with documenting the uncomfortable truths of the country’s systematic oppression of black people, while also honouring the integral role of African-American culture.