[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 39 (Monday, April 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2796-S2797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

   Mr. LEVIN. Mr President, I would like to make my colleagues 
aware of an important event taking place in my home city of Detroit, 
MI--the opening of the new Museum of African-American History. The 
museum is unique in its size, scope and mission.
  Located in Detroit's Cultural Center, the 120,000 square foot Museum 
of African-American History is the largest museum in the Nation 
dedicated to documenting and celebrating the African-American 
experience. It is led by Kimberley Camp, who was the first African-
American gallery director in the history of the Smithsonian Institute. 
Under Dr. Camp's leadership, the museum is poised to become a 
destination for tourists and researchers from around the country. The 
Detroit News recently reported that, ``Camp wants every visitor's 
experience to be personal. Some may be moved by the reality of slave 
sleeping quarters and pieces of a slave ship. Others may be enchanted 
by an exhibit on quilting, an African-American tradition. Still others 
may appreciate an Africa exhibit that opens in June, exploring the 
continent's diversity.''
  The museum was designed by prominent Detroit architects Howard Sims 
and Harold Varner, of Sims-Varner and Associates, Inc. Using 
contemporary building materials, Mr. Sims and Mr. Varner created a 
building thoroughly American in design, but with significant accents 
which evoke African culture and traditions. Two Detroit artists, 
Richard Bennett and Hubert Massey, created the most striking of these 
accents. Mr. Bennett's massive African-style masks adorn the facade 
above the bronze front doors, which he also created. Mr. Massey's 
terrazzo tile mosaic, ``Genealogy,'' is interwoven with the floor in 
the rotunda. Crowning the rotunda is a glass and steel dome, the 
largest dome in southeastern Michigan.
  The central display in the museum will be the core exhibition, ``Of 
the people: An African-American experience.'' This exhibition will use 
historical artifacts, audio recordings, documents, and three-
dimensional displays to take visitors through the totality of the 
African-American experience, from the first slave ships through the 
present day. Displays will also put into context the importance of 
African traditions in historical and modern American culture. Two 
additional galleries will be used for new and changing exhibits.
  The men and women of the new Museum of African-American History are 
committed to creating an institution which is truly a partner in the 
community. To that end, the museum will offer a lecture series, after-
school programs for Detroit children, weekend workshops for children 
and adults and theatrical arts programs.
  The Museum never would have been built without the leadership of two 
remarkable mayors, Coleman Young and Dennis Archer, and without the 
financial support of the residents of Detroit and the corporate 
community. All of them came together and pledged their support for what 
will be the finest institution of its kind in the country.
  At the museum's grand opening on April 12, the U.S. Postal Service 
will unveil the winning design for the first stamp celebrating Kwanzaa. 
The Kwanzaa stamp, which has been designed by the internationally 
acclaimed artist Synthia Saint James,

[[Page S2797]]

will highlight the importance of African traditions in the lives of so 
many Americans. Ms. Saint James is an accomplished author, poet, and 
award-winning illustrator of books for children and adults. She has 
previously been commissioned to create works of art for organizations 
like UNICEF, Dance Africa and the Girl Scouts of America.
  Mr. President, it is important that we recognize the incredible 
contributions African-Americans have made to our nation's cultural 
heritage. People of all races will learn and be touched by their 
experience at Detroit's Museum of African-American History. On the 
occasion of the museum's grand opening, I know my colleagues join me in 
congratulating the men and women who helped make this remarkable 
institution a reality. 

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