The 100-Year Mission To Create
The National Museum Of African American History And Culture
By Robert L. Wilkins

For Rep. John Lewis, African American Museum was a recurring dream

In 1988 — the year after he was sworn into Congress — civil rights leader John Lewis introduced a bill to create a national African American museum in Washington. Nothing happened. So he introduced it again the next year, then two years after that. With each new Congress, for 15 years, Lewis proposed his bill.

Lewis, now 76, is nothing if not a patient man.

“It’s very simple. If you believe in something and you want to see it through, you have to bepersistent and consistent,” the Georgia congressman said, adding a bit of emphasis to two of the most important words in his vocabulary. “You never ever give up. You just keep believing.”

Lewis — whose patient activism was on display last week when he led a 24-hour sit-in over gun control on the House floor — will see his dream realized in 13 weeks, when he joins President Obama for the opening celebration Sept. 24.

Lewis’s dream faced many challenges, but he kept the faith. He didn’t give up when people said a separate museum for African Americans would lead other groups to seek their own. (Congress had passed legislation in 1989 authorizing the National Museum of the American Indian, and efforts continue for Latino, women’s history and immigrant museums.)

Washington Post, June 28, 2016

Posted in News & Events on June, 2016