Queen Victoria | Be a Seed for Change

2013 has been an exciting year for us!
Since our ground breaking in February 2012, the Museum has been taking shape at our construction site on the National Mall, located at the corner of 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC.
Just before Thanksgiving, we installed by crane two signature objects — a Southern Railway railroad car (segregated) and a 1930s guard tower from Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola — too massive to be installed after the Museum is built. These will be a part of our inaugural exhibition on segregation.
As construction continues, the beams and pillars are beginning to rise. When finished, the Museum will be nearly 400,000 square feet, crowned by a 3-tiered bronze colored corona, but we still need additional funds to reach the finish line.
Can I count on your help? Please consider making a special, year-end tax-deductible gift to the Museum.
Your support is vital to preserving and promoting the cultural legacy of African Americans. Imagine seeing firsthand a PT-13 Stearman Bi-plane actually used to train Tuskegee pilots, viewing the lace shawl Queen Victoria gifted to Harriet Tubman, or enjoying a presentation of jazz music from the Harlem Renaissance!
With artifacts like these and more, the Museum will be a place that becomes a lens into a story that unites as all. To make this possible, Carmen, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today and ensure we stay on schedule to open the Museum’s doors in just a few short years.
Thank you for all you’ve done to support the Museum so far!

Sincerely,
Signature

Lonnie G. Bunch
Director

NMAAHC Construction site on Feb 13, 2013

Construction photo taken on February 13, 2013. Photo Credit: Michael R. Barnes, Smithsonian,NMAAHC

It takes a big space to tell a big story. That’s why the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be nearly 400,000 square feet!

As you read these words, the massive excavation effort continues daily at our prime location on the National Mall at 14^th Street and Constitution Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. When the foundation is ready, when the walls have risen, when the 3-tiered corona is in place — we take our place as the newest museum in the world-renowned Smithsonian family. I promise you that the history inside our doors will be as grand, exciting, and powerful as the building itself.

As we move the Museum ever closer to its 2015 Grand Opening, I want to be sure you know how much we appreciate your financial support.

Our task of raising $250,000 million from private resources and individuals is certainly ambitious. However, I am pleased to report that so far more than 47,800 members and donor share your desire to discover, explore and present the African American experience for visitors from around the world to see and understand. And we are adding more Charter Members every day!

Now I am hoping you will continue to help us build this great museum by making a contribution today. We really do need your ongoing support to reach our goal.

Together we are building a museum where exhibitions and public programs will inspire and educate future generations. Imagine seeing firsthand a PT-13 Stearman Bi-plane actually used to train Tuskegee pilots … viewing the shawl given to Harriet Tubman by Queen Victoria … or enjoying a music or dance presentation celebrating African American musical and cultural heritage.

But before that day arrives in 2015, you and I must ensure that we are doing all we can to bring this new museum to our nation — and the world!

So, please, help us meet our goal of $250 million and make your contribution to the Museum now. We truly appreciate it. Thank you.

	All the best,

	Lonnie G. Bunch Director

P.S. Nearly 400,000-square-feet of power, pain, beauty, triumph and more — that is what Americans and visitors from around the world will find when they walk through doors of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Thank you so much for helping us build this fabulous museum!