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Phylicia Rashad: Good morning.
Audience Members: Good morning.
Phylicia Rashad: It is indeed an honor and a privilege to welcome all of
you here today for this Groundbreaking Ceremony
of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American
History and Culture.
This, this is a milestone!
This is a milestone moment, not only for the Smithsonian,
but for the United States.
Today we take the first step in creating an iconic building that
will house something truly wonderful.
A museum with the power to change hearts and minds and
ultimately the nation.
And your being here today speaks to your support of this one
spectacular effort.
Creating this museum has captured the attention of
government, private citizens.
And it has also drawn on the commitment of corporate America,
community groups, and school groups.
And today we salute this undertaking with extraordinary
music and inspiring speakers, all in celebration of this
moment and the America spirit!
(applause)
♪♪ (Ruffles and Flourishes) ♪♪
Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States
and Mrs. Michelle Obama.
(applause)
♪♪ (Hail to the Chief) ♪♪
(applause)
Please remain standing.
Please remain standing for the Presentation of the Colors by
the Smithsonian Institution Office of Protection Services
Honor Guard, and the National Anthem performed
by Ms. Denyce Graves.
♪♪ (piano playing) ♪♪
♪ O, say, can you see ♪
♪ by the dawn's early light ♪
♪ what so proudly we hailed ♪
♪ at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪
♪ Whose bright stripes and bright stars, ♪
♪ through the perilous fight. ♪
♪ o'er the ramparts we watched ♪
♪ were so galantly streaming? ♪
♪ And the rockets' red glare. ♪
♪ The bombs bursting in air. ♪
♪ Gave proof through the night ♪
♪ that our flag was still there. ♪
♪ 0, say, does that star-spangled ♪
♪ banner yet wave ♪
♪ o're the land of the free ♪
♪ and the home of the brave. ♪
(applause)
Phylicia Rashad: Please join me in welcoming from the Abyssinian Church in Harlem,
the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem,
the Reverend Calvin Butts, III.
(applause)
Reverend Butts: I'm delighted to have been given this opportunity to
say a word of inspiration concerning the National Museum
of African-American History and Culture.
African-American.
What is Africa to me?
Copper sun or scarlet sea, jungle star, jungle tracks.
Strong bronzed men.
Or regal black.
Women from whose loins I sprang when the birds of Eden sang?
One three centuries removed from the land his father loved.
Spicy grove and cinnamon tree.
What is Africa to me?
Yet beloved I too sing "America."
I'm the darker brother.
When company would come they would send me to the kitchen.
But that's all right.
I'd laugh, go to the kitchen, I'd eat and grow fat.
Tomorrow I'd be at the table.
Company would come and they would see how beautiful I am
and no one would ever send me to the kitchen again.
Yes, beloved I, too, sing "America."
♪ My country 'tis of thee ♪
♪ sweet land of liberty ♪
♪ of thee I sing. ♪
This may be the land of the pilgrims' pride,
but it's also the land where my mothers and fathers died.
So let freedom ring.
Ring.
(applause)
Yes, let freedom ring.
Ring for the Ashanti, ring for the Aruba,
ring for the crew arriving on a nightmare yet praying
for a dream.
Dream a world beloved where man No other man will scorn.
Where love will bless the earth and peace its paths adorn.
Dream a world beloved where all will walk sweet freedom's way
and greed not sap our soles nor avarice blights our day.
Dream a world where black or white, whatever race you be,
will enjoy the bounty of the earth and everyone be free.
Where wretchedness will hang its ugly head.
And joy, like a pearl, adorn the earth of such I dream,
our world.
I have a dream today that everyone would not be judged by
the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
Everyone.
The poor white, fooled and pushed apart.
Everyone.
The *** bearing slavery scar.
Everyone.
The red man pushed from the land.
Everyone.
The immigrant clutching the hope that she seeks but finding the
same old stupid plan of dog-eat-dog and mighty
crush the weak.
Oh, yes, I say it plain, America never was America for me but yet
I swear this oath America will be.
And America is becoming because so many brave women and men have
fought to preserve the integrity of the land of the free and the
home of the brave.
0h beautiful, for heroes proved in liberating strife.
Crispus Attucks.
Two hundred thousand sons of Ethiopia who gave their lives
in order to hold the union together.
Heroes proved and liberating strife who more than self
their country loved and mercy more than life.
Dorie Miller.
The 369th Harlem Hellfighters.
And, of course, the Tuskegee Airmen who more than selves
their country loved and mercy more than life.
America, America, may God thy gold refined.
Till all success...
Barack Obama in the White House, Till all success...
Martin Luther King, Jr., on the National Mall.
To all success...
The National Museum of African-American
History and Culture.
Till all success...
Be nobleness and every gain divine.
Shalom.
Salam Alaikum.
Peace be unto you.
God bless America!
(applause)
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Stanley Thurston and
the Heritage Signature Chorale.
(applause)
Phylicia Rashad: Music from the church has touched hearts and
stirred souls for generations.
It has soothed in times of trouble and inspired the weary
to do great and noble things.
Today the Heritage Signature Chorale will perform a landmark
liturgical work, "My Soul Is Anchored In The Lord."
♪ (piano chords) ♪
♪ In the Lord ♪
♪ In the Lord ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored in the Lord ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored in the Lord, ♪
♪ In the Lord, in the Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ anchored in the Lord. ♪
♪ In the Lord, in the Lord ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ In the Lord, my Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored in the Lord. ♪
♪ Good Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord. ♪
♪ Before I'd stay in hell one day ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored in the Lord ♪
♪ I'd sing and pray myself away ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored in the Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored. ♪
♪ In the Lord anchored in the Lord, ♪
♪ in the Lord, in the Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ anchored in the Lord, ♪
♪ in the Lord. In the Lord ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord, my Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord. ♪
♪ Good Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord. ♪
♪ And so we pray and then He comes ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored in the Lord. ♪
♪ Until I reach my Lord ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord. ♪
♪ In the Lord. ♪
♪ In the Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored, ♪
♪ anchored in the Lord, ♪
♪ in the Lord, in the Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord. My Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord. ♪
♪ Good Lord. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord ♪
♪ Do you love Him? ♪
♪ 0, yes. ♪
♪ Do you love Him? ♪
♪ Hallelujah. ♪
♪ Do you love Him? ♪
♪ 0, yes. ♪
♪ God, Almighty. ♪
♪ Are you anchored? ♪
♪ Are you anchored? ♪
♪ Yes, I'm anchored. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord. ♪
♪ Will you serve Him? ♪
♪ Will you serve Him? ♪
♪ O, yes. ♪
♪ Will you serve Him? ♪
♪ Hallelujah. ♪
♪ Will you serve Him? ♪
♪ 0, yes, God, Almighty. ♪
♪ Are you anchored? ♪
♪ Are you anchored? ♪
♪ O, yes. ♪
♪ Yes, I'm anchored. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord. ♪
♪ Hallelujah. ♪
♪ Will you praise Him? ♪
♪ Will you praise Him? ♪
♪ 0, yes. ♪
♪ Will you praise Him? ♪
♪ Hallelujah. ♪
♪ Will you praise Him? ♪
♪ O, yes, God Almighty ♪
♪ Are you anchored? ♪
♪ Yes, I'm anchored. ♪
♪ Oh, I'm anchored. ♪
♪ 0, yes. ♪
♪ God, I love you. ♪
♪ O, yes. ♪
♪ Yes, I'll serve Him. ♪
♪ Oh, yes. ♪
♪ Will you praise Him? ♪
♪ O, yes. ♪
♪ Hallelujah. ♪
♪ My soul's been anchored ♪
♪ in the Lord. ♪
♪ My soul ♪
♪ My soul is anchored in the Lord! ♪
(applause)
Phylicia Rashad: Soul stirring, indeed.
Mmm.
Yes.
(laughter)
Creating the Smithsonian National Museum of
African-American History and Culture is a grand endeavor.
And a grand endeavor necessitates visionary
leadership with courage and a willingness to dream big.
Well, such a leader has been guiding the development of this
museum for six years.
His efforts have brought us this moment.
And his guidance will take us to the day when the National Museum
of African-American History and Culture opens its doors
on this spot.
Please welcome the Founding Director of this museum,
Lonnie Bunch.
(applause)
Lonnie Bunch: Thank you.
(applause)
What a grand and glorious day.
And they said it was going to snow.
(laughter)
President and Mrs. Obama, Members of Congress,
the Smithsonian Reagents, the Presidential Commission,
the Museum's Council, distinguished guests
and dear friends.
I am honored and humbled to welcome you to this
groundbreaking ceremony for the newest museum of
the Smithsonian Institution...
The National Museum of African-American History
and Culture.
I just love to say that.
(laughter and applause)
Your presence today is a clear reminder of the unflagging
support and leadership that you have provided this endeavor.
We are at this moment; we have come this far not by faith alone
but because of your belief in the importance of this museum.
While there are too many donors and supporters to name,
I want you to know just how much the Smithsonian appreciates the
support of President and Mrs. Obama, of the U.S. Congress,
and of all the corporations, foundations and individuals in
communities across America who have given so much to
make this moment possible.
I especially want to acknowledge the Council of the Museum that
is co-chaired by Linda Johnson-Rice and *** Parsons.
We are so indebted to you because you believed when there
wasn't much to believe in.
So we are so grateful for your leadership.
(applause)
Today in the words of Washington, D.C.
poet Lewis Alexander, we call the lost stream back.
Today we begin to make manifest on this mall,
on this sacred space, the dreams of many generations who fought
for and believe that there should be a site in the nation's
capital that will help all Americans remember and honor
African-American history and culture.
But equally important to this vision was the need to make
better all who visit the National Museum by using
African-American culture as a lens to more clearly understand
what it means to be an American.
So with groundbreaking, we mark a major milestone in
the creation of this museum.
A museum that, as the beloved historian John 0. Franklin used
to always say to me, it must tell the unvarnished truth.
Because this will be a museum that will have moments to make
one cry or to ponder the pain of slavery and segregation.
But it will also be a signature green museum designed by the
gifted architectural team of Freelon Adjaye Bond and the
SmithGroup, but a museum that soars on the resiliency of a
people and will illuminate the joy and the belief in the
promise of America that has shaped this community.
This building will remind us that there are few things as
powerful as a people, as a nation steeped in its history.
And there is nothing nobler than honoring all of our ancestors by
remembering the full, rich and diverse history of America.
And as with any endeavor of this sort,
it has not been without challenges
and difficult moments.
But what buoys all who work on this project has been the
support that comes from unexpected quarters.
Such as the man who shined shoes in a Texas airport who said to
me while he's unsure exactly what would be in a museum,
he hoped that this museum would be, in his words,
it may be the only place where his grandchildren learn what
life did to him and what he did to life.
Or the woman who cleans one of the Smithsonian museums
who reminded me the other day that she is tired,
and able to retire, but she said to me I want to continue to work
so that I can clean our museum.
(applause)
So I would be remiss if I didn't thank the entire Smithsonian
family for helping this museum make a way out of no way.
The leadership of Secretary Clough and Richard Courant
and the Reagents, and I want to especially nod to my dear friend
Patty Stonesifer for all her support.
And I want -- Thank you, Patty.
(applause)
And I especially want to acknowledge the gifted staff
of the National Museum of African-American
History and Culture.
(applause)
While I may stand in front of you,
they do the work to make all things possible.
During The Great Depression historians were hired by the
federal government to interview formerly
enslaved African-Americans.
When 82-year-old Cornelius Holmes was asked if the
experience of the enslaved still mattered,
he answered: "Though the slavery question is settled,
the race question will be with us always."
It is in our politics; it is in our courts.
It is on our highways; it is in our manners.
It is in our religion and in our thoughts all the day, every day.
Well, what a gift you have all given by helping to birth this
museum so that everyone who visits will realize that we are
all touched, shaped and enriched by African-American history and
culture all the day, every day.
Thank you, very much.
(applause)
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Mayor
of the District of Columbia,
Vincent Gray.
(applause)
Mayor Gray: Good morning.
Audience Members: Good morning.
Mayor Gray: Not to worry, we have decreed there will be no
more snow in the District of Columbia ever!
(laughter)
As Mayor of the nation's capital it is my honor to greet you and
on this auspicious occasion here in our great city.
You have gathered here today to break ground on a site that will
provide the foundation for much more than simply another new
building in Washington, D.C.
Today's groundbreaking is a milestone that fulfills the
dreams and aspirations of many generations and honors all of
those on whose shoulders we stand at this point.
This will be a museum for all Americans.
It will celebrate every American story, not just Black history.
The fact that the museum will be completed in 2015 is indeed
significant because that year we also will celebrate the
anniversaries of two significant events in our nation's history:
2015 will mark both the 150th Anniversary of the
Constitutional Abolition of Slavery;
and the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
(applause)
The 13th Amendment fundamentally changed
our Constitution and our nation.
And the Voting Rights Act allowed America to
fulfill its promise.
One of the great African-American leaders
who helped guide our nation to live up to its own creed now has
a monument dedicated to him not far from here.
Just last month we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
birth, and a few months ago we dedicated his memorial.
Another national monument that was a long-time coming.
His dream was that we could all come together to make our nation
and our world a better place.
His message was not for one racial group,
but for all people of all backgrounds,
ethnicities and creeds.
This museum will be a tangible manifestation
of Dr. King's dream.
As the mayor of a city that itself is central to the story
of freedom for all Americans, I eagerly anticipate the
completion of the National Museum of African-American
History and Culture and I'm proud that the District of
Columbia will be its home.
Thank you, very much.
And I look forward, as all of you do,
to 2015 when we will reconvene here for the official opening
of our new museum.
Thank you, very much.
(applause)
Phylicia Rashad: We all know that the Smithsonian Institution
is a place of learning.
It's a place where history, art and culture come alive
in a vibrant way.
And helping to make sure this happens is Dr. Richard Courant.
For many years he was the force behind the Annual Folk Life
Festival which draws more than a million people to the National
Mall for two glorious months -- two glorious weeks, rather,
in the month of June, and now as Under Secretary for the
Smithsonian he helps guide the work for the history and culture
museums including the one for which we are breaking
ground today.
It gives me great pleasure to present the Smithsonian's Under
Secretary for History, Art and Culture, Dr. Richard Courant.
(applause)
Dr. Richard Courant: Good morning.
Audience Members: Good morning.
Dr. Richard Courant: All that Under Secretary stuff; I am Lonnie Bunch's
down-field blocker.
(laughter)
Only once in a generation have citizens and leadership of this
country gathered to sink a shovel into the ground of this
National Mall to establish a museum, a library,
an archive or galley.
But let us for a moment reflect on the history that
leads us here today.
Exactly 150 years ago in February 1862,
with the Civil War raging, the Smithsonian hosted a series of
abolitionist lectures.
President Abraham Lincoln, leading officials and large
audiences, attended.
Newspaper coverage assured that the nation knew about
these lectures.
Their aim was to convince the President to end slavery.
Week after week at the Smithsonian, Horace Greeley,
Wendall Phillips, Ralph Waldo Emerson, others spoke.
Frederick Douglass, the great American orator,
was scheduled to give the culminating lecture.
But such were the times in America,
such were the divisions, that Joseph Henry,
the Secretary of the Smithsonian,
and Science Advisor to the President said I will not
allow a Black man to speak in the rooms of the Smithsonian.
Frederick Douglass was denied his place in the
National Museum.
The irony was that Secretary Henry's most reliable staff
member was a man named Solomon Brown, an African-American poet,
self-educated scientist.
He built the exhibits at the Smithsonian, he made the maps,
he served the Smithsonian for 54 years.
And many others, some in this room, followed Brown,
guarding treasures, cleaning the museums,
carrying out the research, developing programs and
helping to lead the institution.
The historical record, though, is checkered.
Notably in 1891, the Smithsonian's National
Zoo opened its grounds to African-Americans on Easter
Monday given that the community was not allowed to participate
in the celebrations on the White House lawn.
Well into the 20th century, curators purposefully excluded
African-American history.
In 1947 the descendants of Christian Fleetwood tried to
integrate the Smithsonian's collections by donating the
Medal of Honor this black soldier had won for heroism
in the Civil War.
They were rebuffed until the Secretary of the Smithsonian
at that time intervened.
And with the Poor People's March on Washington in 1968,
many advised closing the Smithsonian museums to keep
the people out.
Secretary Ripley did the opposite;
keeping them open extra hours in order to let everyone in.
Now, we've come a long, long way since Joseph Henry
uttered those words.
And we can't change what he said.
But we can correct it.
With this building we can today proudly say Frederick Douglass'
words will certainly be heard in the rooms of the Smithsonian.
(applause)
So, too, will those voices of millions of others.
Simply this museum makes for a more inclusive Smithsonian,
a more inclusive America, and that is good for this country,
and it's good for the world.
The co-chairs of the museum's Advisory Council,
Linda Johnson-Rice and Richard Parsons,
have played key leadership roles in ensuring that we hear the
many compelling voices of our nation's history.
Linda is the Chair of Johnson Publishing Company,
publisher of Jet and Ebony magazines.
*** is the chair of CitiGroup.
Please give a warm welcome to Linda Johnson-Rice and
*** Parsons.
(applause)
Richard Parsons: On behalf in the Advisory Council of this,
the Smithsonian's 19th museum, the National Museum
of African-American History and Culture,
Linda and I would like to extend our sincere appreciation for
your sharing this incredible moment with us.
We would especially like to thank all of
our founding donors.
And it's an honor to celebrate this important museum with
President and Mrs. Obama, a distinct, unique, great honor.
Fabulous honor.
(applause)
While you are all dignitaries, I would like to just make mention
of the fact that Eleanor Holmes Norton,
the District Representative, Congressman Clyburn are here,
as well as so many of our great supporters and other
distinguished guests.
All of you have helped achieve this significant milestone.
Thank you for taking this journey with us.
And one of the things I'd like to do,
because nobody gets anything done by themselves or even with
an able and beautiful partner, we have a council,
you heard it referred to before, that has been with us on this
journey and with Lonnie, all supporting and advising,
I'd like the members of the Advisory Council to stand and
receive your applause and appreciation.
(applause)
And if I can be allowed just one moment of personal reflection,
before I turn it over to Linda, the significance of
this day to me.
You know, it's often said and I've read it many times,
that history is written by the winners.
History is written by the winners.
And to me the reality of this museum puts an exclamation mark
at the end of the sentence that after 400 years of struggle,
of triumph of tragedy, of turmoil, of turbulence, we won!
(applause)
Linda Johnson-Rice: Well said, ***. Well said.
As members of this Council we have had the pleasure of
witnessing a vision take shape.
One, that as Lonnie Bunch has indicated,
will encourage us to remember, reflect and rejoice.
One that will help us better understand the hope,
the optimism, the struggles, the determination and triumphs
of the American story.
Today we will break ground for a museum that has been a long time
in the making.
And I'm delighted to introduce one of the champions that made
it a reality.
Congressman John Lewis is a symbol.
The last surviving speaker from the 1963 March on Washington and
a hero of the civil rights era.
In February 2011, John Lewis received the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
(applause)
He sponsored the legislation in the House of Representatives to
establish this museum.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the
Honorable, John Lewis.
(applause)
Congressman Lewis: Good morning!
Audience Members: Good morning.
Congressman Lewis: Thank you, Linda, for those kind words of introduction.
Mr. President, Mrs. Obama, Mrs. Bush,
my colleagues from the Congress, my beloved friends,
what we witness today will go down in history.
It is the substance of things hoped for and a validation of
our dreams.
It is the moment of people protested,
struggled and longed for.
It is the moment millions of our ancestors believed in but died
never to behold.
It is that point of critical mass when an idea becomes so
powerful, it leaves the rims of inspiration and becomes visible
even to the untrained eye.
This is an idea whose time has come.
When I think about all it took to reach this point,
the Black Civil War Veterans who took up the cause many decades
ago, the spirited debate and the long years of silence,
the language of advocates and our opponents,
when I think about the plane crash that killed one champion
and the election of this poor boy from rural Alabama who spent
more than half of his Congressional career introducing
the Museum Bill only to have it end in a bipartisan effort,
inspired by men and women of faith,
it remind me of the words of one of my favorite poets,
Langston Hughes, which seems to fitting and appropriate here.
The name of the poem is "Harlem" and in it he says,
"What happened to a dream deferred?
"Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or fester like a sore...
and then run?
"Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
"Or does it explode?"
Today we must thank the White House and the United States
Congress, my former colleague Governor Sam Brownback,
Senator Mike Cleland and Congressman J.C. Watts,
the Smithsonian Board of Regents,
the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Wayne Clough,
the Director of the National Museum of African-American
History and Culture, Lonnie Bunch and his entire staff.
The distinguished Advisory Council of celebrities and
scholars and the generous corporate and individual donors
who have taken a dream deferred and helped it
find its place in history.
This is an end.
But it is also a beginning.
There is the still much work to do and as we pursue this worthy
goal, sent us down through the ages, we must not shrink.
We must call upon the courage of those who were in the struggle
long before any of us were born.
We must tell the story, the whole story,
400-year story of African-American contribution
to this nation's history from slavery to the present without
anger or apology.
The problems we face today as a nation make it plain;
make it clear that there is still a great deal of pain
that needs to be healed.
The story told in this building can speak the truth that has the
power to set an entire nation free and reveal the boldest
lesson of liberty, justice and a true democracy to us all.
I look forward, Lonnie Bunch, I look forward to the day when I
can amble through the exhibits, search through the archives,
participate in the program, rest my tired feet in the cafe --
(laughter)
-- and get lost in history inside the granite wall of
an idea whose time has finally come.
We didn't give up!
We didn't give in!
We didn't give out!
We didn't get lost in a sea of despair!
We kept the faith!
We kept our eyes on the prize!
Thank you.
(applause)
Richard Parsons: Thank you, Congressman Lewis.
Inspiring.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you another
renowned and important supporter of the new museum.
Governor Sam Brownback served 14 years in the United States
Senate prior to becoming the Governor of the State
of Kansas in 2011.
His commitment to this museum is based on his deep commitment to
human rights.
While in the Senate he called on the United States to condemn the
genocide in Sudan's Darfur region and he consistently
introduced legislation to ban human trafficking
around the world.
Governor Brownback sponsored the legislation in the Senate
to establish this museum.
So ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Governor
Sam Brownback.
(applause)
Governor Brownback: What a great honor to be here with you.
Mr. President, Mrs. Obama.
My former colleague John Lewis, other colleagues that are here.
This is a momentous occasion and I'm delighted to be a
part of it.
In Kansas we have a deep sense really of our state's history
and destiny.
We're one of the few states in the Union that was formed
for a cause.
And our cause was to end the barbaric practice of slavery.
John Brown was one of our most famous residents.
The President was also a resident of Kansas at one time.
John Brown's legacy is a mix of righteousness,
violence and zealotry, but his cause was the undoing of the
enormous crime of slavery.
Before he was executed for treason,
he spoke these haunting and prescient words.
"I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this
guilty land will never be purged away but by blood."
A great deal of blood was shed in the years that followed,
even after the Civil War.
The nation had a long way to go before we could realize
the goals laid forth in our founding documents.
Blatant bigotry, casual disrespect,
and an ever present disregard for the dignity
of African-Americans was the rule and not the exception
in our land.
This even after legal segregation was ended.
Even after Dr. King marched on Washington.
Even after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.
Even after those three shots rang out in Memphis and another
American poet and prophet was called home to be with the Lord.
The African-American people have experienced the worst of our
shortcomings as a nation - the shortcomings of justice,
of compassion, of humanity.
This museum will allow the culture and the identity of
the African-American people to be celebrated as one that shed
these unconscionable circumstances,
met its unparalleled challenges, and rose
to an unimaginable achievement.
The groundbreaking of this museum could not be more timely.
Now, some could cynically see it as an attempt to gloss over the
sins of the past.
Or as an attempt to pay back the injustices.
It is neither of those things.
It is instead a celebration of a uniquely American triumph
of will.
To consider this museum an airing of grievances is to
sell it dramatically short.
It is, in fact, a presentation of the triumph of the
African-American people!
(applause)
This museum cannot be for Caucasian grandchildren just
to see how awful the crimes of their ancestors were,
or for the African-American grandchildren to see how
terrible their ancestors were treated.
This museum is for the American grandchildren to see the triumph
of great Americans.
(applause)
In 1957 Dr. King wrote these words,
"At the end is reconciliation.
"The end is redemption.
"The end is the creation of the beloved community."
We are one step closer to that vision today.
God bless you all, and thank you for being here.
(applause)
Phylicia Rashad: Learning American history through listening to music
could be considered by some a shortcut.
That is, unless, of course, the teacher is the opera
star Thomas Hampson.
Then it's more than just learning,
it's being transported.
This celebrated baritone from Washington State is revered for
his interpretation of Mahler and Verdi,
but he has long been an advocate of American song.
Today he graces this celebration with works by two iconic
American composers: "Grief," by William Grant Still,
and "Simple Gifts" by Aaron Copland.
(applause)
♪♪ (piano playing) ♪♪
♪ Weeping angel on pinions trailing, ♪
♪ And head bowed low in your hands, ♪
♪ Mourning angel with heart-strings wailing, ♪
♪ For one who in death's hall stands. ♪
♪ Mourning angel silence your wailing, ♪
♪ And raise your head from your hands. ♪
♪ Weeping angel on your pinions trailing, ♪
♪ The white dove, promise, stands. ♪
♪ Weeping angel on pinions trailing, ♪
♪ And head bowed low in your hands, ♪
♪ Mourning angel with heart-strings wailing, ♪
♪ For one who in death's hall stands. ♪
♪ Mourning angel silence your wailing, ♪
♪ And raise your head from your hands, ♪
♪ Weeping angel on your pinions trailing, ♪
♪ The white dove, promise, stands. ♪
(applause)
♪♪ (piano playing) ♪♪
♪ 'Tis the gift to be simple, ♪
♪ 'Tis the gift to be free, ♪
♪ 'Tis the gift to come down ♪
♪ where you want to be, ♪
♪ And when we find ourselves ♪
♪ in the place just right, ♪
♪ 'Twill be in the valley ♪
♪ of love and delight. ♪
♪ When true simplicity is gained, ♪
♪ To bow and to bend, ♪
♪ we shan't be ashamed, ♪
♪ To turn, turn, will be our delight, ♪
♪ 'Til by turning, turning, ♪
♪ we come round right. ♪
♪♪ (piano playing) ♪♪
♪ 'Tis the gift to be simple, ♪
♪ 'Tis the gift to be free, ♪
♪ 'Tis the gift to come down ♪
♪ where you ought to be. ♪
♪ And when we find ourselves ♪
♪ in the place just right, ♪
♪ 'Twill be in the valley ♪
♪ of love and delight. ♪
♪♪ (piano playing) ♪♪
(applause)
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, returning to you now,
Founding Museum Director Lonnie Bunch.
Lonnie Bunch: You know, as I mentioned earlier,
this museum is indebted to a wonderful array of donors and
supporters, but today I want to acknowledge our youngest donors.
One of my former students, Tracey Mina,
worked with children at the Stuyvesant Montessori School as
they celebrated the history of African Americans.
When they learned of the museum they started an effort entitled,
"Make a Change with Change."
So last year these students collected $600 in coins and
presented it to the museum.
(applause)
Today, today they -- oh, they're cute.
Oh, hi, how are you.
Today they are here with their second gift.
Please welcome Tracey Mina, Marisa Grant, Adjani and Piper.
Thank you.
(applause)
(laughter)
(applause)
(laughter)
(applause)
Thank you so much.
(cheering and applause)
As we said in my North Jersey neighborhood,
cash makes no enemies, let's be friends.
(jingling coins)
(laughter)
I am so moved by that and I want to thank them so much.
And again, join me in thanking the Stuyvesant
Montessori School.
(applause)
Phylicia Rashad: Yes.
Living proof generosity comes in all sizes.
No list of American composers is complete without the name Edward
Kennedy Ellington.
Duke Ellington, that is.
Ellington called his music American music,
not jazz -- rather than jazz.
He gave America memorable music for more than 50 years as a
composer, as a bandleader, and as a pianist.
There's one contemporary pianist who keeps the Ellington legacy
alive, and his name is Jason Moran.
Now, of course Jason is about creating his own
40-carat history.
Last summer he walked away with three major awards from
Downbeat's annual critics poll: Best pianist,
jazz album of the year, and artist of the year.
Today he is performing the Ellington classic,
"I Like the Sunshine."
Please welcome Jason Moran.
(applause)
♪♪ (piano playing) ♪♪
(applause)
Phylicia Rashad: That was Jason Moran.
The "Smithsonian" Magazine recently dubbed him,
"Keeper of the Keys," and after that rendition of Ellington's,
"I Like the Sunrise," I think we all know why.
(applause)
Thank you, Jason Moran.
Every day, millions experience the wonder of the Smithsonian.
Children engage with timeless artwork in all of its museums,
teachers spark the fascination of teenagers with science
lessons shaped by the Smithsonian scholars.
Researchers navigate the vastness of the ocean and
explore the biodiversity of Panama.
Guiding the work of the largest museum and research complex in
the world is Dr. Wayne Clough.
As the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian,
Wayne Clough is overseeing a $900 million building and
renovation program which includes the construction
of the Smithsonian's 19th museum: The National Museum
of African-American History and Culture,
for which we are breaking ground today.
(applause)
With a doctorate in civil engineering from the University
of California at Berkeley, Clough was President of the
Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta for 14 years.
As head of the Smithsonian since 2008,
he has put the Smithsonian's attention in what he calls four
grand challenges: Unlocking the mysteries of the universe;
understanding and sustaining a biodiverse planet;
valuing world cultures; and understanding the
American experience.
It is with honor that I present to you Dr. Wayne Clough.
(applause)
Dr. Wayne Clough: Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Ms. Rashad, for that very kind introduction.
Wow, what a beautiful day.
It's an honor to be here as the 12th Secretary of the
Smithsonian with President Obama, Mrs. Obama, Ms. Bush,
all these distinguished guests, and wonderful friends
who are here.
It is a remarkable day.
At the Smithsonian, of course, we strive to provide a lens
through which Americans can see the world,
and indeed the world can see America.
And today that picture comes sharply into focus.
The National Museum of African-American History and
Culture adds essential chapters to the essential American story.
Voices silenced in the past will be heard here, now,
and in the future.
We realize this dream, lifelong dream,
thanks to the generosity of the Administration, the Congress,
and the American people.
Working together, we bring America's treasures to parents,
teachers, learners of all ages across the country,
around the world, and best of all, it's all free.
(laughter and applause)
No inflation here.
When Museum Director Lonnie Bunch started,
he had a staff of exactly two, and zero objects.
No concrete, of course, has yet been poured for this museum,
but Lonnie and his team have already created a strong
foundation for it, because today he has more than 20,000
artifacts, in addition to education programs,
an online presence, and vibrant exhibitions.
In 2015 visitors will be witnesses to history when
this new building opens its doors to America and the world.
It will join our 18 other Smithsonian museums which tell
the stories of all the people who made this country great.
Our existing museums and this Secretary will support Lonnie
and this museum, allowing us to fully speak to African
Americans' contributions in art, history, culture, and science.
So many thanks to Lonnie and his colleagues,
the museum's advisory council, all of our regents,
and especially Patty Stonesifer for her work throughout this,
and for helping bring all this project to fruition.
Of course, we are honored to welcome
President and Mrs. Obama.
Thank you for being with us.
(applause)
Thank you so much for encouraging and supporting
this and many other Smithsonian initiatives.
We are here today, of course, thanks to the
leadership of many.
President and Ms. Bush were essential.
Members of the House and the Senate and a host of
local officials made it happen.
This was a true bipartisan effort,
echoing this museum's message of unity.
What a magnificent location imbued with powerful symbolism.
It's a fitting home for this museum,
invoking the indelible threads that connect the fabric of
African-American stories to the American tapestry.
Even as we break ground on the National Mall,
I want to ensure the entire country who are watching on
webcast that we reach far beyond the nation's capital.
If you can't come to us, we come to you via new technology,
and through our 170 affiliate museums located around the
country, and our traveling exhibition.
So to the teachers and students who are watching,
imagine your schools in a few years and what you might receive
in terms of information from this museum.
Maybe a hologram of Martin Luther King might walk right
off the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and
into your classroom.
But we don't have to wait for the future.
Thanks to technology, the leaders of tomorrow have
the world in the palms of their hands today.
And that's where you'll find the Smithsonian,
telling these important and compelling stories.
So to this day we add to America's chorus of voices,
voices that inspire us to recall the past and illuminate
the present and ensure a better future for all.
Thank you very much.
(applause)
So please welcome a valued friend of the Smithsonian and
one of the museum's dedicated council members, Ms. Laura Bush.
(applause)
Laura Bush: Thank you so much, Wayne.
Thank you all.
Thank you, everybody.
Thank you very much.
Thanks so much.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Wayne, for that introduction,
and good morning to everyone.
Good morning, President and Mrs. Obama,
Director Lonnie Bunch, and all our distinguished guests and all
Americans who've joined us for this very important occasion.
It's especially fitting that we're dedicating this plot of
land on our National Mall for a museum that remembers, reveres,
and celebrates the great struggles and even greater
contributions that African Americans have made to our
nation's history.
Just down the road from here, both the White House and the
Capitol were built in part by the labor of
African-American slaves.
We don't know most of their names,
but they left a lasting legacy in the bricks and stone and
beautiful craftsmanship that now house our democracy's most
vital institutions.
Here, too, in this city, is where a young Congressman named
Abraham Lincoln was horrified by the sight of slave pens standing
near the grounds of the Capitol, and where later President
Lincoln would sign the transforming
Emancipation Proclamation.
Here in this city is where the great abolitionist Frederick
Douglass came to offer counsel to Lincoln,
and was welcomed by the President into the White House.
Here on this very Mall is where the Reverend Martin Luther King,
Jr., stood and shared his dream of the nation where we're all
measured by the content of our character,
and where we join together at one table,
the table of brotherhood.
And here in this city is also where President Lyndon Johnson
fought for and signed the landmark Civil Rights
Act of 1964.
Today African Americans help lead our nation in all facets
of life: From government to the military to the law,
from business to the arts, to medicine and education.
This museum will share these stories and will pay tribute
to the many lives known and unknown that have so
immeasurably enriched our nation.
The National Museum of African-American History and
Culture began as a bipartisan effort through legislation
sponsored by Representatives John Lewis and J.C. Watts,
and Senators Sam Brownback and Max Cleland.
My husband, President Bush, was proud to sign it into law
in 2003, and to envision the museum to be built on the Mall,
where we honor artists, inventors, explorers,
soldiers, and statesmen.
I'm particularly proud of the museum's vision,
which is dedicated not simply to this building,
but also to reaching out to communities around the nation.
The museum has already begun traveling expeditions,
and artifact preservation programs.
It's a museum dedicated to welcoming all Americans,
whether or not they'll be able to travel to Washington, D.C.
I'm glad, too, that this building will stand next
to the monument to our first President George Washington,
a man who fought for liberty and who came to recognize the
evils of bondage, freeing his slaves in his will.
Side by side, these two spots are symbolic of our
own national journey.
For the stories that will be preserved within these walls,
the stories of suffering and perseverance, of daring,
of imagination, and of triumph, are the stories of African
Americans, but they're also stories that are forever woven
through the heart of the fabric of our nation.
Thank you all, and God bless you all.
(applause)
Dr. Wayne Clough: Now it's my honor to introduce a friend, scholar, accomplished
astrophysicist, two times university president,
and now President of Purdue University,
and most importantly, new Chair of the Smithsonian Board
of Regents and my boss, France Cordova.
(applause)
Dr. France Cordova: Mr. President, Mrs. Obama, fellow regents and honored
guests, good morning.
On behalf of the Board of Regents,
I'd like to welcome all of you here to
this incredible ceremony.
I'd like to also congratulate the Council of the National
Museum of American History and Culture,
the museum's dedicated staff, and its Founding Director Lonnie
Bunch on achieving this historic milestone.
(applause)
That we are breaking ground for the construction of the museum's
permanent home is a testament to their
shared vision and hard work.
In 2003, the Regents were honored when the Congress
passed and President Bush signed legislation establishing
the National Museum of African-American History
and Culture within the Smithsonian.
Since that time, the Regents have made opening the museum
our number one priority.
The legislation also tasked the Regents with one duty
particularly relevant to our gathering today.
We were asked to select the site for the new museum.
Over the course of two years, we listened to a passionate
discourse on the museum through public town halls
and on the internet.
We consulted closely with the museum's council and other
Smithsonian stakeholders.
We considered a number of attractive alternatives,
but in the end, our decision was easy.
We recognized that the story of African-American culture
and history is central to the story of America.
It is the story that we believe can be best told from America's
front yard, the National Mall, here at the foot of
the Washington Monument, next to the Museum of American History,
in view of the Capitol, and within blocks of
the White House.
Sometimes location is, indeed, everything.
And this site underscores the Smithsonian's and the nation's
commitment to telling the whole American story.
As a scientist and educator, I was taken with some recent
photographs of President Obama hosting students at a science
fair in the White House.
By opening the White House doors to outstanding young student
scientists, the President sent an important and inspiring
message to young Americans, that science and learning
are critical to the future of this nation,
and a top priority for us all.
(applause)
Since 1846 the Smithsonian has been opening its doors
to student scientists, historians, artists,
or those just seeking to learn more about themselves,
the nation, and the world.
We're grateful to the President and Mrs. Obama for their
inspiring support of education, the Smithsonian,
and this wonderful and important new museum.
It is now my great honor and privilege to welcome the
President of the United States.
(applause)
President Obama: Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Please have a seat.
Thank you very much.
(applause)
The President: Well, good morning, everybody.
Audience: Good morning.
The President: I want to thank France for that introduction and for her
leadership at the Smithsonian.
I want to thank everybody who helped to make this day happen.
I want to thank Laura Bush; Secretary Salazar;
Sam Brownback; my hero, Congressman John Lewis;
Wayne Cluff, and everybody who has worked so hard to make
this possible.
I am so proud of Lonnie Bunch, who came here from Chicago,
I want to point out.
(laughter and applause)
I remember having a conversation with him about this job when he
was planning to embark on this extraordinary journey.
And we could not be prouder of the work that he has done to
help make this day possible.
I promise to do my part by being brief.
As others have mentioned, this day has been a long time coming.
The idea for a museum dedicated to African Americans was first
put forward by black veterans of the Civil War.
And years later, the call was picked up by members of the
civil rights generation -- by men and women who knew how to
fight for what was right and strive for what is just.
This is their day.
This is your day.
It's an honor to be here to see the fruit of your labor.
It's also fitting that this museum has found a home on the
National Mall.
As has been mentioned, it was on this ground long ago that lives
were once traded, where hundreds of thousands once marched for
jobs and for freedom.
It was here that the pillars of our democracy were built,
often by black hands.
And it is on this spot -- alongside the monuments to those
who gave birth to this nation, and those who worked so hard to
perfect it -- that generations will remember the sometimes
difficult, often inspirational, but always central role that
African Americans have played in the life of our country.
This museum will celebrate that history.
Because just as the memories of our earliest days have been
confined to dusty letters and faded pictures,
the time will come when few people remember drinking from a
colored water fountain, or boarding a segregated bus,
or hearing in person Dr. King's voice boom down from the
Lincoln Memorial.
That's why what we build here won't just be an achievement for
our time, it will be a monument for all time.
It will do more than simply keep those memories alive.
Just like the Air and Space Museum challenges us to set our
sights higher, or the Natural History Museum encourages us to
look closer, or the Holocaust Museum calls us to fight
persecution wherever we find it, this museum should inspire
us as well.
It should stand as proof that the most important things in
life rarely come quickly or easily.
It should remind us that although we have yet to reach
the mountaintop, we cannot stop climbing.
And that's why, in moments like this,
I think about Malia and Sasha.
I think about my daughters and I think about your children,
the millions of visitors who will stand where we stand long
after we're gone.
And I think about what I want them to experience.
I think about what I want them to take away.
When our children look at Harriet Tubman Shaw or Nat
Turner's bible or the plane flown by Tuskegee Airmen,
I don't want them to be seen as figures somehow
larger than life.
I want them to see how ordinary Americans could do extraordinary
things; how men and women just like them had the courage and
determination to right a wrong, to make it right.
I want my daughters to see the shackles that bound slaves on
their voyage across the ocean and the shards of glass that
flew from the 16th Street Baptist church,
and understand that injustice and evil exist in the world.
But I also want them to hear Louis Armstrong's horn and learn
about the *** League and read the poems of Phyllis Wheatley.
And I want them to appreciate this museum not just as a record
of tragedy, but as a celebration of life.
When future generations hear these songs of pain and progress
and struggle and sacrifice, I hope they will not think of them
as somehow separate from the larger American story.
I want them to see it as central --
an important part of our shared story.
A call to see ourselves in one another.
A call to remember that each of us is made in God's image.
That's the history we will preserve within these walls.
The history of a people who, in the words of Dr. King,
"injected new meaning and dignity into the veins
of civilization."
May we remember their stories.
May we live up to their example.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States
of America.
(applause)
Phylicia Rashad: At this time I'd like to invite the groundbreakers
to gather at the foot of the steps of the stage here.
Okay, once you're ready with your instruments --
(laughter)
I would like to invite everyone to join me in the countdown.
Five, four, three, two, one, break ground.
(applause)
Stanley Thurston: Bringing the finale of the program today,
which is the *** National Anthem,
"Lift Every Voice and Sing," which will be led by our
combined choirs from the St. Albans School,
from Afro Blue, and from the Heritage Signature Chorale,
accompanied by the U.S. Navy Band,
and we also have our guest soloist Denyce Graves and
Mr. Thomas Hampson to come and join us.
So might we all stand for the *** National Anthem.
And let's welcome to the stage Ms. Denyce Graves
and Thomas Hampson.
(applause)
♪♪ (music playing) ♪♪
♪ Lift every voice and sing, ♪
♪ Lift every voice and sing, ♪
♪ 'Til earth and heaven ring, ♪
♪ Ring with the harmonies of Liberty. ♪
♪ Lift every voice and sing ♪
♪ Lift every voice and sing, ♪
♪ Let our rejoicing rise, ♪
♪ High as the listening skies, ♪
♪ Let it resound loud ♪
♪ as the rolling sea. ♪
♪ Lift every voice and sing, ♪
♪ Sing a song full of the faith ♪
♪ that the dark past has taught us, ♪
♪ Sing a song full of the hope ♪
♪ that the present has brought us, ♪
♪ Facing the rising sun ♪
♪ of our new day begun, ♪
♪ Let us march on, let us march on, ♪
♪ 'til victory is won. ♪
♪♪ (band playing) ♪♪
♪ Stony the road we trod, ♪
♪ Bitter the chastening rod, ♪
♪ Felt in the days ♪
♪ when hope unborn had died, ♪
♪ Yet with a steady beat, ♪
♪ Have not our weary feet, ♪
♪ Come to the place ♪
♪ for which our fathers sighed? ♪
♪ We have come over a way ♪
♪ that with tears has been watered, ♪
♪ We have come, ♪
♪ treading our path through ♪
♪ the blood of the slaughtered, ♪
♪ Out from the gloomy past, ♪
♪ Till now we stand at last ♪
♪ Where the white gleam ♪
♪ of our bright star is cast. ♪
♪♪ (band playing) ♪♪
♪ God of our weary years, ♪
♪ God of our silent tears, ♪
♪ Thou who has brought us ♪
♪ thus far on the way, ♪
♪ Thou who has by Thy might, ♪
♪ Led us into the light, ♪
♪ Keep us forever in the path, ♪
♪ we pray. ♪
♪♪ (band playing) ♪♪
♪ Lest our feet stray from the places, ♪
♪ our God, where we met Thee, ♪
♪ Lest our hearts, ♪
♪ drunk with the wine of the world, ♪
♪ we forget Thee, ♪
♪ Shadowed beneath thy hand, ♪
♪ May we forever stand, ♪
♪ True to our God, ♪
♪ True to our native land. ♪
♪ Amen ♪
(applause)