Mr. Rosen had been troubled by a comment of one of the museums early directors, whod said the museum was about the Americanization of the Holocaust, which was, after all, a war against the Jews perpetrated by Europeans in Europe. Patti Austin, Mary J. Blige, Usher, John Legend, Dave Grohl and Dave Chappelle were among those who performed.
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“A great nation does not shy away from the truth”, Bush said, referring to the countless lessons that he believes the new museum, through its many artifacts and exhibits, could provide to all Americans.
The Smithsonian says the museum is the only one in the U.S. exclusively focused on African-American life, history and culture, but organisers say it is also meant to capture the story of all Americans.
Other famous speakers included Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey, who was the museum’s highest private donor, giving a reported $21 million (£16 million), while John Legend, Octavia Spencer and Ava DuVernay enjoyed the speeches from the crowd, and shared their reactions to the event on social media.
President Barack Obama hailed Saturday the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a long-awaited institution dedicated to the many threads of black suffering and triumph in the United States. Sam Brownback of Kansas to usher legislation through Congress, and President George W. Bush signed into law the bill that allowed the museum to move forward.
The artifacts are there to help attendees understand more than 200 years of African-American history and how it impacts people even today. He says no telling of American history will be complete or accurate without acknowledging that. And then, from there, you get to proceed up to the fourth and final gallery…is culture…really, really great expression of African American contributions to music and art…visual arts…and our culture. And we create vistas out to key areas in this wonderful place of America’s front yard, so there’s a nice, panoramic view of the entire Washington Monument grounds off the fourth floor balcony.
“Hopefully, this museum makes us talk to each other and listen to each other and see each other”, he added. It is about a particular American story, one that needs to be taught to every American. “It’s going to be a testament to their work and a testament to so many of our ancestors that this museum will open on the Mall”.
“A museum like this helps people see why some things are the way they are”, David said.
This site is between the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. It will return to the church for its 240th anniversary later this year. The idea came up several times over the next 90 years, with no real progress made.
The Freedom Sounds show punctuated a weekend of D.C. celebrations that saw a star-studded gala at the Kennedy Center, a surprise late-night parade through a downtown corridor led by Dave Grohl and New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a formal dedication of the museum by President Barack Obama and performances on the mall by acts including Angelique Kidjo, Meshell Ndegeocello and Experience Unlimited.
“We are serious”, she said.
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After Obama declared the museum “open to the world”, it was she – stooped in stature but smiling broadly – who tugged on a rope to ring an antique bell from a historic black church, sealing the inauguration.
