—By Marjorie J. Hurst—

The National Museum of African American History & Culture
Opens September 24th

A century after first being proposed, the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) is finally a reality. On Saturday, September 24th, President Barack Obama will speak at the museum’s dedication ceremony. How very fitting!

First proposed by African American Civil War veterans in 1915 and authorized by an Act of Congress in 1929, there was no progress on the idea of building a museum dedicated to telling the history of African Americans, acknowledging our contributions, celebrating our vibrancy and educating coming generations on just what we have meant to the history of America because Congress, as it often does, failed to provide the funding. It took the singular, dogged efforts of Representative John Lewis, who co-sponsored and introduced a bill in 1988 to build the museum, and then re-filed the same bill every year for 15 years until Congress finally passed the needed legislation in 2003 and President George W. Bush signed it into law.
And then the real work began. Although Congress appropriated $250 million to help build the museum, they required that money be matched from private sources. Thus began a monumental capital campaign to raise the remaining $250 million.

On February 22, 2012, the museum broke ground on a five-acre site next to the Washington Monument and within view of the White House. At its opening there will be 12 galleries with exhibits that will tell the story of the African American experience with objects and artifacts, many of which have been donated from African American family collections. The 12 galleries are: Slavery and Freedom • Defending Freedom • Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 • A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond • Double Victory: The African American Military Experience • Power of Place • Musical Crossroads • Sports: Leveling the Playing Field • Making a Way Out of No Way • Taking the Stage • Visual Art and the American Experience • Cultural Expressions • A Century in the Making: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In describing the aspect of the Museum and its mission that he’s most proud of, Founding Director Lonnie G. Bunch III said:

“I’m particularly proud that we are fulfilling the dream of many generations that came before us—the dream to build a living monument to people whose experiences and contributions have so often been left out of our national story through ignorance, neglect, and even overt efforts to suppress accounts of African American struggles and triumphs. I feel that we are delivering on a sacred promise to our African American ancestors by ensuring that their stories will be told and honored. I wish I could say “thank you” to the for not giving up, for persevering through unimaginable trials to keep African American culture alive.”

Thousands of donors have financially supported this commitment to tell the story of the ancestors upon which so many of us stand. Among the list of Founding Donors (those who contributed $1 million or above) were the names of many recognizable corporations, organizations and foundations. It was especially nice to see the names of African American celebrities like Oprah Winfrey who, through her charitable foundation, was in the $20 million and above Pinnacle Donor category, along with the Rhimes Family Foundation (I’m assuming Shonda Rhimes) which is listed as a Capstone Donor with a contribution of $10 million and above.

As I continued to peruse this list, I was especially proud to see donations of $1 million and above by the Alphas (Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated), the Omegas (Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated), the Links Foundation, Incorporated and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity/Boulé Foundation. These are Black organizations whose members not only stood up to be counted, but had the resources to do so. And kudos to Brooks Fitch, president of the local Springfield chapter of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity/Beta Sigma Boulé, who was responsible for presenting the resolution of support of NMAAHC at the national meeting of the group which was unanimously approved. Additionally, Brooks spearheaded the local Springfield organization to become the first African American male organization in the country to contribute $1,000 to the museum.

And then there was the contribution that was the subject of an article in The Washington Post back in May that a friend sent to me that motivated me to write this article—a $1 million donation made by the Alfred Street Baptist Church, the “largest donation by a faith-based organization.” The Alexandria, VA church, whose pastor is the Reverend Dr. Howard John Wesley, formerly pastor of St. John’s Congregational Church here in Springfield, was quoted in The Washington Post as he presented the $1 million check to Lonnie Bunch, “‘This is a proud moment for us, and praise be to God we had the resources. Black stories matter (and) there’s a need for claiming and proclaiming our own history and heritage.’”

There are others here in Springfield who believe that as well and have made individual contributions and are sustaining members of the museum. Some, like Maxine and Tom Brown and Mary and Art Shurn were motivated to give as a result of a visit by Adrienne Cobb Brooks to St. John’s for the dedication of the Cobb Center, in honor of her father, the late Reverend Charles Cobb, Sr., a former pastor of St. John’s. As part of her remarks, Adrienne gave an inspiring and informative talk on the efforts underway at the time to build the Museum and the support that was needed.
When I asked Maxine, who along with her husband, have given a substantial donation to the museum what had motivated them to become a sustaining member, she responded, “It is very important that the African American community be represented in Washington.” She said she had been inspired by Adrienne’s presentation and “felt strongly about being a part of this lasting legacy and tribute to our history. Too often we just pay lip service and don’t act,” she concluded.”

There are others who learned of the museum’s need for support through other means. I happened to be talking about the museum to a few of my girlfriends recently and Pat Spradley told me about her and her husband’s support. I asked her husband what had motivated them to give and he said, “We donate to honor our heritage as African Americans and to share the blessings of God’s favor. We visited the MLK Jr. Memorial with much pride knowing that we had a part in its realization. We look forward to doing the same with our grandchildren when we visit the National Museum of African American History & Culture. It is imperative that we celebrate our history in ways that preserve it for the generations to come.”

I’m sure there are many more stories like Maxine’s and Willie’s of other donors from this area. Rick and I are proud to be among them. If you let us know who you are, we will be happy publish an honor roll of donors.

Everyone can share in that pride. It doesn’t matter how much you contribute, just that you do. You can become a Charter Member for a contribution of as little as $25. In fact the museum states it has more than 100,000 donors who have made an ongoing pledge of $25 a year to become members. And, it’s not too late. As of May according to The Washington Post article, the museum was $25 million short of its goal. Make your contribution now and share in the pride of this monumental accomplishment. Simply go to nmaahc.si.edu and follow the prompts. Yes, we can!