Dear Charter Members and Friends,
The Smithsonian today announced that the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will open to the public on Saturday, September 24, 2016.
The opening will be the focus of a week-long celebration that begins with a dedication ceremony on September 24th and will include extended visiting hours and a three-day festival on the National Mall showcasing popular music, literature, dance and film. Also planned are events co-hosted by other museums around the country and the world.
“After 13 years of hard work and dedication on the part of so many, I am thrilled that we now have this good news to share with the nation and the world,” said Lonnie Bunch, the museum’s founding director. “In a few short months visitors will walk through the doors of the museum and see that it is a place for all people. We are prepared to offer exhibitions and programs to unite and capture the attention of millions of people worldwide. It will be a place for healing and reconciliation, a place where everyone can explore the story of America through the lens of the African American experience.”
“We look forward to the opening of this enormously important new museum,” said David Skorton, Smithsonian Secretary. “The NMAAHC furthers the Smithsonian’s commitment to telling America’s story in all its dimensions.”
Please be advised that at this time many details about the grand opening remain to be decided. When more details and information become available, it will be posted on our website, www.nmaahc.si.edu.
The NMAAHC’s 400,000 square-foot building on the National Mall is located on a five-acre site on Constitution Avenue NW between 14th and 15th streets NW adjacent to the Washington Monument and across 14th Street from the American History museum. The museum consists of five levels above ground and four below. The museum will have exhibition galleries, an education center, a theater, auditorium, café, and gift shop, as well as staff offices.
We must raise $40 million to reach our $274 million dollar goal! If you are a Charter Member, please consider making a gift donation today in celebration of our anticipated September 24th opening.
If you have not become a Charter Member, won’t you join today?
Would you consider helping us with another donation?