George W Bush Speaks At opening Of African American Museum of History FULL Speech
George W. Bush hailed the opening of a new African-American history museum on the National Mall as an opportunity for the United States to remember the truth of racial oppression and celebrate the achievements of black Americans. "I hope all of my fellow Americans come and look at this place. It is fabulous," Bush said Saturday morning at the opening of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. "The galleries celebrate not only African-American equality, but African-American greatness." The event united Bush, who signed the law creating the museum in 2003, with his old political antagonist, President Obama, who won the presidency by repudiating much of Bush's legacy. Since leaving office Bush has mostly kept out of the public eye, occasionally resurfacing to fundraise for Senate Republicans or promote his art. On Saturday, though, Bush appeared alongside Obama to highlight the importance of the museum. "A great nation does not hide its history; it faces its flaws and corrects them," Bush said, before reminding attendees that the Constitution provides the opportunity to make those corrections. "In a society governed by the people, no wrong lasts forever. After struggle and sacrifice, the American people, acting through the most democratic of means, amended the Constitution that originally treated slaves as three-fifths of a person to guarantee equal protection of the laws." Bush didn't just talk about painful racial history, but he emphasized also the merit in celebrating the titans of black America — abolitionist leaders such Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, the great baseball player Willie Mays, and Martin Luther King, Jr. "Even today, the journey toward justice is still not complete but this museum will inspire us to go farther and get there faster," Bush said. "The lesson of this museum is that all Americans share a past and a future [and] by staying true to our principles, righting injustice, and encouraging the empowerment of all we will be an even greater nation for generations to come."National Museum of African American History and Culture Grand Opening American History TV presented live coverage of the grand opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Speakers included President Obama and the museum’s founding director Lonnie Bunch. First lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Representative John Lewis (D-GA), and Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton were also in attendance. Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis performed a composition created for the opening.
