Black Museum About To Open In D.C.
Jesse Jackson walked through galleries chronicling African Americans’ enslavement, long struggle for freedom and achievements in culture, science, sport and politics. “I wish Dr King were here today,†the veteran civil rights activist said quietly. “Just for a moment.†Reverend Jackson joined media from around the world on Wednesday for a preview of the $540-million Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which will be formally opened next week by the country’s first black president, Barack Obama. Pictured is a helmet from the first world war Harlem Hellfighters. So prominent is the distinctive structure on the national mall in Washington – dubbed “America’s front yard†– that its architects were told by the secret service to ensure that it could not be used by snipers to target the White House.
