Show latest news, more from December 2003.
US Congress signs off on African American museum
The US Congress has signed an act committing to the creation of a National Museum of African American History and Culture. The historic bill comes after a near century of struggle to commemorate African American contributions to the United States' historical and cultural landscape. Black Civil War veterans began the fight to establish a national museum. Since 1988, the National Museum of African American History and Culture Act has been pursued by many African American leaders and scholars. One such driving force is Representative John Lewis - a civil rights champion for 40 years. "This is the African American story that we must tell," Lewis said. "African-Americans have a history - a proud history - a history that needs to be told. The new museum is to document all aspects of African American art, history, and culture - encompassing the period of slavery, the era of Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the civil rights movement and beyond. It will be housed within the Smithsonian Institution in the nation's capital.
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