Senator Reed & Director Bunch Preview New National Museum Celebrating the History & Achievements of African Americans

Press Release

Today, Rhode Islanders gathered in Providence for a behind the scenes look at the newest Smithsonian museum being built on the National Mall in Washington, DC and an up close look at a new travelling exhibition, "Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963."

The "Changing America" exhibition, presented by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), uses photographs, historical quotes, and writings to examine the events leading up to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the March on Washington in 1963, and describes the struggle for equal rights for African Americans from 1860 to the present day. The exhibition will have its official opening on May 7 and will be hosted at the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice (CSSJ) at Brown University through June 10, 2015.

To help kick things off, NMAAHC's founding Director, Lonnie G. Bunch III, today joined U.S. Senator Jack Reed; Brown President Christina Paxson; Professor Barrymore Bogues, Director, Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, Brown University; and over 100 members of the Providence community for a symposium at CSSJ. During the presentation, Mr. Bunch shared his experience in working to help conceive, build, and launch the NMAAHC and enlisted Rhode Islanders' input in developing the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history, and culture.

"Lonnie Bunch has undertaken a historic task in establishing a national museum that preserves and celebrates the experiences and achievements of African Americans. I am thrilled the museum is nearing completion and pleased to have him here to share his insights and give Rhode Islanders a window into what is sure to be a world-class, innovative cultural resource," said Senator Reed.

During his presentation, Mr. Bunch discussed a variety of challenges, including building on the National Mall, conceptual frameworks, public expectations, and the contextual terrain of race, and provided an update of the current status and future projections for the museum. Mr. Bunch said the NMAAHC will be a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience and how it helped shape our nation.

Senator Reed and Mr. Bunch took questions from the audience and discussed current events and the museum's plans to be an educational institution that addresses both the lessons of history and contemporary issues.

"True equality in our society remains a work in progress and is a goal we must continually strive for. As a country, we need to address some of the underlying challenges we face in terms of race, economic fairness, and social justice. I hope this museum will be a place that unites us all and fosters greater understanding of our shared history," said Senator Reed.

In 2003, Congress passed U.S. Representative John Lewis' (D-GA) legislation creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the bill was signed into law by President George W. Bush, making it the 19th museum of the Smithsonian Institution.

Scheduled for completion in 2016, the museum broke ground in February 2012 on a five-acre tract of land adjacent to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The 400,000 square foot, state-of-the-art structure and its core exhibits is being funded through a public-private partnership, with half of the estimated $500 million cost coming from the federal government and half from private donors.

Mr. Bunch continues to raise private funds for the museum, and has received donations from individuals across the country, as well as from philanthropists such as Oprah Winfrey, Earl W. Stafford, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lilly Endowment, as well as corporate contributions.

As the former Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies, which oversees federal funding for the Smithsonian, and as a former member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, Senator Reed is a strong backer of the museum and was instrumental in ensuring it received federal funding. The museum is projected to receive about $40 million a year for operations through federal appropriations.

The museum has already hired more than 160 staffers and acquired more than 35,000 artifacts, photographs, documents, and works of art. Some of the larger artifacts acquired by the museum have already been installed, including: a slave cabin from a South Carolina plantation; a segregation-era railway car; and an early 20th century guard tower from the Angola Prison in Louisiana. The museum will also house other national treasures, such as Louis Armstrong's trumpet and a plane used by the famed Tuskegee airmen.

While construction is moving forward, the museum is producing publications, hosting public programs, and assembling collections. It is presenting exhibitions at other museums across the country and at its own gallery at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. An array of interactive programs and educational resources is available on the museum's website: www.nmaahc.si.edu

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