National Museum of African American History and Culture
groundbreaking Wednesday The newest exhibit explores Thomas
Jefferson's lifelong ownership of slaves and his conflict and
advocacy against slavery, while also looking at the lives of six
slave families who lived on his Monticello plantation in
Virginia to humanize the issue of slavery. Telling such stories
has been taboo at many museums in the past and missing from the
National Mall. Bunch said that by presenting a fuller view of
history and dealing directly with difficult issues like race,
the Smithsonian can present a fuller view of history and what it
means to be an American. "What this museum can do is if we tell
the unvarnished truth in a way that's engaging and not preachy,
what I think will happen is that by illuminating all the dark
corners of the American experience, we will help people find
reconciliation and healing," he said. Curators estimate that
15,000 to 20,000 artifacts already are in hand. Bunch estimates
they will need about 35,000 art