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More than 100 years after it was originally proposed, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is opening its doors in Washington, D.C.

In President Obama's remarks at the dedication ceremony, he said this museum shines a light on stories that are often overlooked in the history books.

"This national museum helps to tell a richer and fuller story of who we are," Obama said. "It helps us better understand the lives of yes, the president, but also the slave. The industrialist but also the porter. The keeper of the status quo but also the activist seeking to overthrow that status quo."

This museum, Obama says, provides "context for the debates of our time." He says it's also a "place to understand how protest and love of country don't merely coexist but inform each other":

, including "musical performances, dance, spoken word, oral history activities and two evening concerts." It officially opened to the public at 1 p.m. today – and passes for opening weekend are sold out.


Take a look at this time-lapse of the construction of this museum:


It has been in the works for more than a century – as NPR's Tanya Ballard Brown reported, it was "first proposed in 1915 by black veterans of the Civil War." She walked us through the many steps between that initial proposal and today's dedication ceremony 

The museum is organized so that visitors experience a journey from darkness into light, as Tanya explained:



And as NPR's Elizabeth Blair reported, "The collection of some 35,000 artifacts from around the world includes a slave cabin, Harriet Tubman's hymnal and Michael Jackson's fedora.

Museum director Lonnie Bunch said during the dedication ceremony that the museum is a "clarion call to remember":


Since you probably won't be able to get in this weekend, NPR recently took a tour of the museum before it opened. You can watch the three clips in the videos below.  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Arts and Culture

More than 100 years after it was originally proposed, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is opening its doors in Washington, D.C.


National Museum of African American History opens its doors

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