Supporters want African American collection on the National Mall.

WASHINGTON — After a nearly 90-year struggle to establish a national African American museum in the heart of the nation’s capital, backers of the effort were jubilant when Congress, by an overwhelming majority, passed legislation last month to do so.

Now, as supporters await President Bush’s signature on the bill, they are girding for a new battle — this time over the museum’s location.

They say the National Museum of African American History and Culture needs to be on the National Mall, the 2-mile-long expanse of green between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, alongside the buildings and monuments that tell the story of American history.

Los Angeles Times; December 14, 2003

Posted in News & Events on December, 2003