American History Is Glorious, Messy, Obama Says at Museum Debut
- First national museum of black experience opens in Washington
- Bipartisan gathering draws Ryan, Pelosi, seated side by side
President Barack Obama speaks at the opening ceremony of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on Sept. 24, 2016, in Washington.
Photographer: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The American struggle to celebrate progress while pushing for more equality and opportunity is also the story of black America, President Barack Obama said in a sweeping address at the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“That’s what this museum is about. I too am American,” Obama said on Saturday. “It is a glorious story, the one that is told here. It is complicated and messy and full of contradictions, as all great stories are.”