President Obama to Deliver Remarks at Smithsonian Black History Museum Groundbreaking

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WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Smithsonian Institution will officially begin construction Wednesday on a new museum dedicated to African-American culture and heritage — a complex committed to the celebration and study one of the central components of the American story.

The nation’s first black commander in chief, President Barack Obama, was to deliver remarks at the 10 a.m. groundbreaking ceremony for the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

First lady Michelle Obama and former first lady Laura Bush were also scheduled to attend.

Construction of the Smithsonian’s 19th museum — to be located on the National Mall — is expected to last three years. The museum is slated to open in 2015.

“Our purpose is to collect and preserve artifacts, documents, and art that reflect the history and development of the African American experience in its many aspects,” the Smithsonian says on its website. “Subjects will include the era of slavery, the period of Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights movement.”

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