Microsoft Corp. has just announced a donation of $1 million to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opens this fall, WTOP reports.
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The museum, set to open its doors Sept. 24, will launch with 11 inaugural exhibitions covering major periods of African-American history and culture, from the Harlem Renaissance to President Barack Obama’s historic presidency. The museum has procured numerous artifacts from the African-American experience, from Harriet Tubman’s hymnal and a trumpet owned by Louis Armstrong to Parliament Funkadelic’s Mothership and items from a sunken slave ship excavated off the coast of South Africa in 2015.
The museum recently attracted some controversy for a Bill Cosby exhibit that does not acknowledge allegations of sexual assault leveled against the comedian.
Afro-British architect David Adjaye designed the 10-story edifice (five stories aboveground, five stories below), which has been under construction since 2011. It was established through legislation in 2003, during President George W. Bush’s administration. President Barack Obama, who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, will dedicate the museum in September.
Microsoft, in donating at least $1 million, joins a number of other “Milestone” donors, including Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., and Johnson Publishing Co., along with prominent African Americans such as Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, LaTanya, and their daughter, Zoe, as well as Mellody Hobson, Reginald Van Lee and Robert L. Johnson. Oprah Winfrey is listed as a “Pinnacle” donor for her contribution of more than $20 million.
A full list of donors can be found on the NMAAHC website under “Acknowledgements.”
Read more at WTOP.
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