It took a full century for the early dream of a National Museum of African American History & Culture on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to become a 400,000-square-foot entrenched edifice of glass, aluminum, and concrete.

The vision began in 1916 when African-American civic leaders called for a memorial to the black soldiers and sailors who battled in the Union Army during the Civil War to end slavery and preserve the United States. Their original proposal, which later was broadened to recognize the achievements and contributions of all African-Americans, met with strong early opposition, which lasted through the Jim Crow era, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement, and even into the 1990s.

Yet the long struggle will culminate on Sept. 24 when the Smithsonian Institution opens the new museum near the Washington Monument. President Obama, the nation’s first African-American leader, and first lady Michelle Obama will attend.

It’s a long and twisting story that Robert L. Wilkins, a U.S. circuit court judge, knows well. A 1989 graduate of Harvard Law School, Wilkins has written a book, “Long Road to Hard Truth,” in which he chronicles the efforts to build the museum. He will discuss his book during an open talk on Sept. 19 from noon to 1 p.m. at Wasserstein Hall, Room 2036AB.

“It’s a miracle,” said Wilkins by phone from his Washington office. “It’s surreal to see it happening. This was so long in the making.”

The Harvard Gazette, September 16, 2016.

Photo credit: The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. will open on Sept. 24. Photo by Alan Karchmer.

Posted in News & Events on September, 2016