After decades of waiting, the National Museum of African-American History and Culture (the NMAAHC) is being built and will be completed by 2016 in the National Mall in Washington D.C., according to the NMAAHC website.
The museum was first dreamt up in 1915 when a group of African-American Civil War veterans started to petition for a museum that was dedicated to African-American service members, according to TIME Magazine. Over a decade later, it was approved to be built by President Calvin Coolidge, but the plan was not followed through or funded due to the Great Depression.
President George W. Bush signed the law to build the museum, and Congress gave the project $250 million, yet the museum needed another $250 million, according to 60 minutes. Contributors including Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, American Express, Ford, Boeing and Walt Disney have donated money for the construction, according to the NMAAHC website.
The purpose of this museum, as the website says, is so Americans can “learn about the richness and diversity of the African-American experience, what it means to their lives and how it helped us shape this nation.”
It continues, “This museum seeks to help all Americans remember, and by remembering, this institution will stimulate a dialogue about race and help to foster a spirit of reconciliation and healing.”
The museum will have a variety of items in its collection. Pieces have been collected from American citizens, according to TIME. When the museum opens, there will be items like a necktie owned by Civil War hero Harriet Tubman, a tent from the civil war, an organ owned by James Brown, dresses by designer Ann Lowe, even a gas mask worn during the riots in Ferguson, according to TIME Magazine.
“I’m stoked to see that happen,” said Jasper Mills, a senior from California studying University Studies. “To see us look at ourselves the way we are and not the way the system portrays us.”
Mills added, “It's important we are able to see everybody as people, and I think this might be able to help people who aren’t affiliated with African-American cultures or don’t have many black friends to be able to see black people more as people and see more of our virtues.”
Students at BYU–Hawaii view this museum as a good thing, even though it is far away on the mainland. “Word spreads pretty quickly [about the museum]. You don’t have to be somewhere to learn about, read about, or hear about things around the world,” said Brianne Burgess, a freshman from Arizona studying international cultural studies. “Especially near the capital of our country. It has meaning because it’s right at the capital.”
Justin Silva, a senior from California studying English, said this museum can “put another staple in American culture in addition to the great progress that African-Americans had on American society.” He added when it opens and he is graduated with enough money, “I’ll head over there and learn about the African-American culture I don’t know about.”
The building, a bronze corona, is derived from Yoruban art and architecture, meant to reflect the fact that African-American culture is a permanent part of the American landscape, according to the NMAAHC website. It is also meant to express faith, hope, and resiliency said the website.