yahoonewsphotos:
The first national museum devoted exclusively to the history and culture of African-Americans is now open.
President
Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama opened the new Smithsonian
National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National
Mall by ringing a bell from a historic African-American church.
The museum is the 19th and the newest of the Smithsonians.
The
push for the museum began in 1915 with African-American Civil War
veterans looking for a way to commemorate America’s black experience.
Former President George W. Bush signed the law authorizing the
construction in 2003.
Georgia Congressman John Lewis co-sponsored
legislation authorizing the museum. The civil rights icon said the
bronze-colored museum “is more than a building, it is a dream come
true.” (AP)
Photo credits: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
See more photos of dedication ceremony and our other slideshows on Yahoo News.