New African American Museum Will Not Feature Major Martin Luther King Jr. Artifacts
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is opening on September 24, but it'll missing some major artifacts from Martin Luther King Jr.
According to a report from the Washington Post the museum has missed out on key MLK items such as his traveling Bible and his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, because of the iconic activist's children.
Along with often requesting "exorbitant licensing fees" for using their father's words or images, MLK's children — Dexter Scott King, Bernice King, Martin Luther King III and Yolanda King (who passed away in 2007) — have also sued each other over their father's items, with the most recent incident being Martin and Dexter taking Bernice to court for the aforementioned Bible and Nobel Peace Prize.
"I could not be more cynical, more jaded on this subject," said historian David J. Garrow in the report. "Given the family's behavior this last 20 years, they're unlikely to have any interest in sharing without a large upfront payment."
However, it's difficult to not empathize with the MLK's children, because of what they've endured, which the story also touches on.
Still, it's unfortunate that such an integral part of black America's history will be omitted from this museum. But people are still excited for its grand opening regardless.
In an interview with CBS News Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who was a key figure in the civil rights movement and helped to create the upcoming museum, said that walking through it "felt good."
"I didn't want to cry; I've been holding back tears, because so many of the exhibits, so much in this museum, remind me of the struggle that we went through to get legislation passed and get it signed into law," Lewis added.
As many as 20,000 people are expected to attend the official opening, where President Obama will cut the ribbon.
