Tag Archives: Smithsonian Institution

As Thanksgiving approaches , we are thankful for all that you have done to help build the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Thanks to the help of friends like you, we broke ground in February 2012, and construction is well underway.
In fact, just this past weekend, we installed two signature objects, a Southern Pacific railway car and a 1930s-era guard tower from the Louisiana State Penitentiary, as part of the museum’s inaugural exhibition on segregation.
We are on track to open our doors in late 2015 thanks to your commitment to supporting and sharing African American history and culture with generations to come. From all of us here, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely, Edison Wato signature

Edison R. Wato, Jr. Membership Program Manager

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Lonnie Bunch on 60 Minutes | Sunday, Dec. 1st

11/27/2013 Nativegrl77

NMAAHC -- National Museum of African American History and Culture

Lonnie Bunch Director

Hello Charter Members and Friends of the NMAAHC,

We hope that you all have the opportunity to enjoy some special time with family and friends over the next few days!

Also, we would like to inform you, our valued Charter Members and supporters, that Lonnie Bunch, museum director, will appear on CBS News’ 60 Minutes this Sunday, December 1^st at 7:00PM ET. Lonnie was interviewed by Scott Pelley for a feature on the 150^th anniversary of the Capitol Dome and its upcoming restoration. His interview helps tell the story of African Americans’ contributions to the building of our nation’s capital, the dome, and Philip Reid, the enslaved man who helped raise the Statue of Freedom at the top.

Thank you and have a wonderful holiday!

Edison R. Wato, Jr. Membership Program Manager Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture

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Here’s an update on the economy, in three charts:

Image 11/14/2013 Nativegrl77

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House Republicans could open The Government

10/07/2013 Nativegrl77 2 Comments

By CAP Action War Room

House Republicans Could Open The Government Back Up Right Now

After just five days, the government shutdown is having a real, severe impact. Here are just a few of the many stories of how the shutdown is impacting Americans across the country:

Leo Finn, a 48-year-old father of three, is unable to get cancer treatment because new clinical trials cannot begin during a government shutdown.

The 401 National Parks that have shut down are costing local communities $76 million per day.

The widow of a New Mexico forest firefighter and her three-year-old son have seen their survivor benefits delayed as a result of the shutdown.

A rescue mission for a missing women was put on hold because workers were furloughed.

A Head Start program in Bridgeport, Connecticut was forced to shut down completely on Tuesday. The program serves over 1,000 young children.

Meals for more than 85,000 children in Arkansas: gone. And 2,000 newborns there won’t receive infant formula.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper: The shutdown “seriously damages our ability to protect the safety and security of this nation.”

And the list goes on.

Meanwhile, Republicans in Washington continue to offer political spin that nobody else is buying. The initial Republican strategy to defund Obamacare has fallen apart as people successfully enroll in the insurance marketplaces. Their latest, a piecemeal funding strategy, is in fact a reminder of the important role government plays in every American’s life — from nutrition aid and veteran benefits, to national emergency and disaster recovery. But the American people want the shutdown to end for the entiregovernment, and they blame the Republicans for causing it. Republicans aren’t even sure what they stand for anymore. This quote from conservative Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) pretty much sums it up:

“We’re not going to be disrespected. We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.”

You don’t even know what that is? That’s leadership.

Increasingly, some House Republicans have come out in opposition to this attitude, and in support of a ‘clean’ government spending bill that would re-open the government. In fact, enough have now publicly supported such a bill that it would pass with majority Democratic support. Speaker John Boehner knows this — but is so scared of the extreme right-wing of his party that he won’t even allow it to come to a vote.

BOTTOM LINE: One faction, of one party, in one house of Congress, in one branch of government, has shut down major parts of the government — all because they didn’t like one law. And there are now enough House Republican defectors from this strategy to open the government back up. If John Boehner just allowed the vote to happen, we could stop this unpopular, economically devastating shut down right now.