Obama at black history museum opening: ‘We are America’
.@POTUS: Roots of African-American History Museum "wider and deeper than any tree on this mall." https://t.co/KGp5RI07sG
— ABC News (@ABC) September 24, 2016
President Obama celebrated the complexities and contradictions of black history in America as an intrinsic part of the larger story of the country at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., Saturday.
{mosads}African-American history is “a glorious story … that perhaps needs to be told now more than ever,” he said, speaking after former President George W. Bush.
Obama stressed that African-American history extends beyond slavery and segregation and encompasses sports legends like Jackie Robinson and the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement. He said lessons learned at the museum could put current events — namely protests over the the deaths of black men at the hands of police — in context.
Obama also emphasized that U.S. has work to do to end all forms of racism and prejudice, but told the crowd not to be discouraged that things aren’t yet perfect.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed..