Si+Gr.+Dep.+Background+info

**Background Information**
[|National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution] The building for the NMAAHC will be on the Mall and is scheduled for completion in December 2015. The second floor of the National Museum of American History hosts a temporary gallery.

//Vision for the NMAAHC from Lonnie Bunch, Director// "In many ways, there are few things as powerful and as important as a people, as a nation that is steeped in its history. Often America is celebrated as a place that forgets. This museum seeks to help all Americans remember, and by remembering, this institution will stimulate a dialogue about race and help to foster a spirit of reconciliation and healing.

There are four pillars upon which this museum will stand. The first is to create an opportunity for those that care about or who are interested in African American culture to explore and revel in this history. We will utilize wonderfully interactive exhibitions that are ripe with the best new technologies-but we will never lose the voices and the memories of the people who lived the history. In these exhibitions and presentations the visitors can explore the world, the pain and the resiliency of the enslaved; tap their toes to the music of Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, and LL Cool J; appreciate the individual heroism and the collective creativity that was the Civil Rights Movement; celebrate African American cultural expressions like art, dance, theatre; understand what was lost and what was gained as millions of African Americans left the South in the Great Migrations of the World Wars; examine scientific and technological inventiveness; and reflect upon the impact of African Americans on athletics, religion, and urban life. And these are just a few of the riches of African American culture that this museum will make accessible to the millions who visit the Smithsonian Institution.

Equally important is the opportunity to help all Americans see just how central African American history is for all of us. This is not the museum that celebrates black history solely for black Americans. Rather we see this history as America's history. NMAAHC will use African American history and culture as a lens into what it means to be an American. When I think about many American values like resiliency, optimism, and spirituality, there are few places where one can better understand their origin and evolution than through African American history and culture. If one wants to explore the changing definitions of American citizenship, liberty, and equality, where better than through the black experience?

Additionally, NMAAHC will use African American culture as a means to help all Americans see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by international considerations. While the primary focus of the museum is on the African American experience, it is impossible to tell the story without understanding our role in a global society. Thus, the African Diaspora will have an important place in this museum. I would love to see an exhibition that explores the intersection of race and urbanization in Lagos, Liverpool, and Los Angeles.

And finally, as a 21st century institution, NMAAHC must be a place of collaboration. We must be a truly national museum that reaches beyond Washington to engage new audiences and to collaborate with the myriad of museums and educational institutions that have explored and preserved this important history well before this museum was created. Collaboration is one of the core values of this museum.

Ultimately, the National Museum of African American History and Culture should be a place of meaning, of memory, of reflection, of laughter, and of hope. It should be a beacon that reminds us of what we were; what challenges we still face; and points us towards what we can become."

__ [|Congressman Joe Courtney] __ Biography of Congressman Courtney (excerpts from his website:)
 * Representative Joe Courtney represents the Second Congressional District of Connecticut in the United States House of Representatives.
 * Congressman Courtney first came to the U.S. House in 2006. He serves on the House Education and Labor Committee and House Armed Services Committee. On the Armed Services Committee, Congressman Courtney serves on the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces and the Military Readiness Subcommittees. On the Education and Labor Committee, he sits on the Higher Education and the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittees.
 * Before serving the House of Representatives, Joe Courtney represented the citizens of Vernon in the Connecticut General Assembly from 1987-1994. Courtney was recognized in a legislative poll in 1994 by Connecticut Magazine for his bipartisan efforts, and named the "Most Conscientious" and the "Democrat Most Admired by Republicans."
 * Congressman Courtney is a 1975 graduate of Tufts University in Boston. He earned a law degree from University of Connecticut School of Law in 1978. He lives in Vernon with his wife, Audrey Courtney, and their two children, Robert and Elizabeth.

[|FDR Memorial]

The FDR memorial covers 7.5 acres and is one of four memorials dedicated to presidents (Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson are the others). The memorial highlights his time as president with a focus on The Great Depression and WWII. It is actually the second FDR memorial. The first is on the northwest grounds of the National Archives Building and is much smaller per FDR's wishes.

__ [|Newseum] __ The Newseum is one of the few museums in D.C. that charges admission. It hs a 250,000 square-foot museum with permanent and temporary exhibits that highlight five centuries of news history. The museum provides many technologically sophisticated exhibits. The museum opened in D.C. in 2008.

//Mission Statement (from website)// "The Newseum educates the public about the value of a free press society and tells the stories of the world's important events in unique and engaging ways. In its prominent location on historic Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the Newseum blends 500 years of news history, up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits for a one-of-a-kind museum experience. The Newseum is funded by the Freedom Forum and, while independent of any media companies, receives additional support from individuals, corporations and foundations."

[|National Archives] The NARA is run by the United States government and is the oldest official record-keeper in the U.S. Only between 1-3% of government records are preserved. Many of these records are now available online.

__ [|Museum of American Art (Smithsonian)] __ The Museum of American Art maintains exhibits of American art in their D.C. galleries as well as a travelling exhibit and extensive web resources. The museum began in 1829 and became part of the Smithsonian in 1846. Their collections include the art of over 7,000 artists including: John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, Winslow Homer, Georgia O'Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Jacob Lawrence, Helen Frankenthaler.