Obama opens African-American museum in Washington DC

Image copyright EPA

Image caption Mr Obama attended the event alongside the First Lady and former president George W Bush

US President Barack Obama has opened a new museum about the African-American experience in Washington DC.

The $540m (£415m) Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture will "tell a story of America that hasn"t always taken a front seat", Mr Obama said.

He attended an opening event alongside former president George W Bush.

Before officially opening the museum, Mr Obama rang a bell belonging to one of America"s oldest black churches.

Media captionArchitect"s pride at the US National Museum of African-American History and Culture

Speaking on Friday, he said the new museum would educate Americans about the history of the racial tensions seen during protests over police killings of black men.

"As a people, we"ve rightfully passed on the tales of the giants who built this country," Mr Obama said during his weekly address to the American people.

"But too often, wilful or not, we"ve chosen to gloss over or ignore entirely the experience of millions upon millions of others."

Image copyright AP

Image caption The museum is the only one of its kind in the US, the Smithsonian says

He added: "And so it is entirely fitting that we tell this story on our National Mall, the same place we tell the stories of [President George] Washington and [President Thomas] Jefferson and our independence."

The latest race protests have engulfed two US cities, leading the governor of the state of North Carolina to declare a state of emergency in the city of Charlotte.

Image copyright EPA

Image caption The Obamas and Bushes watched as a choir performed the US national anthem

The bronze-coloured museum, designed by British architect David Adjaye, is located on Washington"s National Mall – not far from the White House.

It contains 36,000 items, ranging from trade goods used to buy slaves in Africa to a segregated railway car from the 1920s and a red Cadillac convertible belonging to rock"n"roll pioneer Chuck Berry.

Why do US police keep killing unarmed black men?

While some of the artefacts depict the slavery era, others show how black culture has come to define American culture, says the BBC"s Nick Bryant in Washington.

Black veterans of the US Civil War first proposed an African-American museum in 1915.

However, it was not until 2003 that Congress approved its creation. Construction of the 37,200 sq m building took almost four years.

The museum"s opening is being celebrated with three days of festivities, including concerts by artists such as rap group Public Enemy and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Original Article

Obama opens African-American museum in Washington DC
http://latiendadejm.com/blog/obama-opens-african-american-museum-in-washington-dc/

| | La tienda de JM