African American Museum - October 2016

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ANNUAL AMBASSADORS ISSUE

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african american museum

George W. Bush and first lady Michelle Obama

HISTORIC GRAND OPENING The National Museum of African American History and Culture PHOTOS by Tony Powell | COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM

A MUSEUM FOR THE AGES: It’s a landmark that will stand for generations to follow as a monument to the African American journey and all the stops were pulled to make the opening celebration one for the ages. There were three days of non-stop festivities to mark the opening of the Smithsonian’s 21st – and some say the last –museum on the National Mall. Monumental in scale, the building, with its elegant filigree panels of bronze-tinted aluminum, served as a backdrop at a dedication ceremony that elicited emotional responses from President Barack Obama, and his two predecessors, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Celebrations to mark the grand opening took place all over town, starting with intimate dinners for large donors, a White House reception followed by a concert at the Kennedy Center, the ribboncutting and lively post-party. “I should say ‘good evening everyone,’ ” said Oprah Winfrey, whose $21 million gift was the museum’s largest, “but what I’d really like to say is ‘halleljujah!’” Rep. John Lewis, who in 1988 spearheaded efforts to build the museum, remarked: “It was a long struggle, but we got ’er done.”

Bill Clinton Stevie Wonder

View all the photos at www.washingtonlife.com

National Security Advisor Susan Rice

Mayor Muriel Bowser

Robert DeNiro and Angela Bassett

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Rep. John Lewis

Ruth Odom Bonner, the daughter of a former slave, helps ring the bell opening the museum.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| o c to b e r

2016

| washingtonlife.com


Savion Glover Magic Johnson and Earlitha Kelly George Lucas and Samuel L. Jackson

Bob Johnson and Vernon Jordan

“It reaffirms that all of us are America — that African-American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story, it’s not the underside of the American story, it is central to the American story. That our glory derives not just from our most obvious triumphs, but how we’ve wrested triumph from tragedy, and how we’ve been able to remake ourselves, again and again and again, in accordance with our highest ideals. I, too, am America.”

Quincy Jones, Steve and Jean Case and David Skorton

President Barack Obama

Lupita Nyong’o, Oprah Winfrey and David Oyelowo Sela and Art Collins

Janet Langhart Cohen, Bill Cohen and Museum Director Lonnie Bunch

Alma and Colin Powell | o c to b e r

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

2016

| washingtonlife.com

Jim Vance

Aba Kwawu and Erwin29Yaw


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