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African American Museum Plan Given $1 Million Boost |
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AFLAC Gift Is First for Tentative Project
By Jacqueline Trescott
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 5, 2002; Page C01
AFLAC Inc., the international insurance company, yesterday gave $1 million to the presidential commission that is studying the feasibility of a National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.
It is the first gift of any size that the commission, established by the White House and Congress last December, has received, said panel Chairman Robert L. Wright.
The museum is a long way from becoming a reality. No site has been selected and hundreds of millions of dollars would probably have to be raised. But there does seem to be momentum behind the idea, which has been under discussion for more than 80 years.
"The chairman of AFLAC, Daniel Amos, thought it was a great thing that a movement was afoot to establish the museum on the Mall in Washington," said Wright, a former official at the Small Business Administration and currently the chairman and CEO of Dimensions International, a information technology and engineering services firm in Alexandria. Wright is also a member of AFLAC's board. "AFLAC, being the first, will hopefully spur others to do the same," he said of the contribution.
In a statement, Amos noted that the planned museum will fill a gap in Washington attractions and should be supported by all segments of society. "At present, there is no national museum in the nation's capital that is exclusively devoted to the contributions of African American life, history, art and culture," said Amos. "A museum of this magnitude is long overdue. The historical significance of this project demands that both the public and private sectors play a prominent role in its establishment and maintenance."
Kathelen Spencer, AFLAC's vice president for corporate communications, said the gift was a departure from the company's primary philanthropy for pediatric cancer and blood disorders. "We see the importance of recognizing an important part of our history and the heritage that we all have, as well as the fact that a large percentage . . . of our employees here are African American. We have to be sensitive to things that are of particular interest to our employees," she said.
The 22-member commission, which held its first meeting in July, is working on a feasibility study on the museum's administrative structure, fundraising and location. Its findings are expected in April.
One option, Wright said, would be to use the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building, situated on the Mall at Ninth Street SW. Completed in 1881, it is the Smithsonian's second oldest building, and would need extensive renovations to be used as a modern museum. The commission's charter says it should determine the cost of updating the structure. Wright said yesterday that the commission has also looked at locations closer to the Capitol, the Washington Monument and Benjamin Banneker Circle in Southwest Washington.
Plans for an African American museum go back at least to 1916, when the National Memorial Association was established to commemorate the deeds of black soldiers and sailors during U.S. wars. The idea was revived in Congress and by social activists over the years. The modern campaign for an African American museum started in 1985 when Thomas Mack, the owner of Tourmobile Inc., started a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the idea. In 1988 Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) introduced a bill to have the national museum be part of the Smithsonian. It never passed, but he has reintroduced it regularly over the years.
The Smithsonian has studied the idea and its board of regents gave it nominal support.
Last year a bipartisan group in Congress reintroduced the whole idea, a move that led to the establishment of the commission. "The chances of accomplishing it at this moment in time are greater than any other," said Wright.
Wright said yesterday that a special account is being established at the National Park Foundation for gifts and that a full-time development officer is being hired for the commission.
Wright declined to estimate how much the construction of a new building or the renovation of an existing one might cost. But some recent projects provide a clue. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, opened in 1993, cost about $90 million; the National Museum of the American Indian, scheduled to open in 2004, is expected to cost $219 million. The ongoing renovation of the Old Patent Office Building, which houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, has escalated to more than $216 million.
2002 The Washington Post Company |
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