NMAAHC_BOA_Stewardship Report_v1

GRAND OPENING WEEK
SEPTEMBER 2016
Smithsonian

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LETTER FROM LONNIE BUNCH WHITE HOUSE RECEPTION
COUNTDOWN TO HISTORY AN EVENING AT THE JOHN F. KENNEDY
GIVING DAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
MEDIA DAY OPENING DAY AND DEDICATION
GRAND OPENING SPONSOR PREVIEWS EVENING GALAS
MAJOR DONOR RECEPTIONS AFTER PARTY
THE FREEDOM SOUNDS FESTIVAL OUR HISTORY CONTINUES
ENCOURAGHERS LUNCHEON

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LETTER FROM LONNIE BUNCH

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American
History and Culture is now open to the nation. For a glorious,
star-studded and emotional Grand Opening Week, the nation
turned its eyes to witness history in the making. Thanks to
your vision and generosity, it was a celebration worthy of this
significant moment. And now, visitors are pouring through the
doors by the thousands.
How can I thank you for taking this journey with us? You
supported our Capital Campaign and then doubled back
with support for our Grand Opening. Your recognition of the
meaning of this opening and its connection to the museum’s long-term success sets you
apart. We are forever grateful for your loyalty, trust and enthusiasm.
We thank you for your enduring contribution to the museum through the Museum Gallery
Guide and educational kit, which will help students of all ages learn about our shared
history for years to come. We are also grateful for your outstanding help in making Giving
Day such a success! Your generous contribution and marketing on your social media
channels and in your branches helped spread the word.
We have tried to capture some of the magic of the Grand Opening week in this report. As
the museum continues to grow in national recognition, we look forward to building on our
relationship and fulfilling your benefits as a Grand Opening Sponsor. I hope you enjoy the
fruits of your labor. Thank you for making history with us!
Sincerely,

Lonnie G. Bunch III
Founding Director

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COUNTDOWN
TO HISTORY

As the calendar turned to September 2016, the we shared the singularly poignant experience of
atmosphere was electric around the National Museum walking from the grim darkness of galleries 70 feet
of African American History and Culture and amongst underground, winding our way up to the light, passing
the many who have traveled this historic journey through the full spectrum of a people’s journey—and
together. The moment all of us—staff, supporters, our nation’s story.
leaders, charter members, the public and partners like
you—had been dreaming of and working so hard for Your generous support as a Grand Opening Sponsor
was nearly here. opened the museum’s doors for a nation, helping to
showcase this story on the stage it deserved. And
A century in the making, a century of dreaming and because of you, the museum’s mission, to tell the
hoping. Nearly 13 years of planning and building. story of America through the lens of African American
history and culture, was heard across the nation during
After all that, the American people would finally have Grand Opening week. Thank you.
a chance to walk into the National Museum of African
American History and Culture and see a nation’s
story laid out in moving and arresting images, sounds,
artifacts, design and architecture.

Those of us behind the scenes—including supporters
like you—knew the museum would be inspiring,
important, moving. Many of us had seen architectural
renderings, watched the building rise up month after
month, seen the gallery mock ups, read descriptions of
exhibitions and seen pictures of artifacts.

But what could prepare us all for the day when it all
came together: when the doors opened and together

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“We are determined…to work and fight until justice rains
down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

— DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

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After decades of waiting for such a museum, it was
imperative that its opening be splendid and grand—so that
the whole nation would know and be a part of it. You made
this possible. Your support helped us herald this momentous
occasion with song, dance, food, celebration and spoken
words. The result was a shared feeling of community among
all who worked to make this happen and among Americans
across the nation. We are forever grateful to you.
Throughout the week—through all types of events—there was
a palpable buzz as the day of the opening grew closer. From
the dedication ceremony on the National Mall to exclusive
private previews to a massive, three-day festival for the
public, it was a week to remember. We reached over 6 million
people just during the Grand Opening weekend.
We have prepared this report so you can re-live some of
those moments and remember that you were a part of
history. We hope you enjoy reviewing this momentous week!

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“We did it!...This place is more than a building, it is a
dream come true…It is a story of life, a story of our lives
wrapped up in a beautiful golden crown of grace.”

— REPRESENTATIVE JOHN LEWIS, AT THE OPENING DEDICATION CEREMONY.

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GIVING DAY

11 DAYS TO GO

It was an unprecedented 11 days of buildup and excitement that
began with a national Giving Day just before the official Grand
Opening week. We engaged individuals across the country
and raised $814,000 in one day to help ensure the museum’s
future—and spread the word about the museum to thousands
of Americans.
Thanks to Hyundai, giving was matched up to $500,000.
Building on your commitment and generosity, the microsite
https://givenmaahc.org/ continues to inspire donations and
generate awareness about the museum.

“I, too, sing America…
I, too, am America.”

— LANGSTON HUGHES

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JOIN US IN
SUPPORTING
THE NEW NATIONAL
MUSEUM OF AFRICAN
AMERICAN HISTORY
AND CULTURE

GiveNM A A HC.org
#g iveNM A A HC

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MEDIA DAY

10 DAYS TO GO

Engaging the nation in the opening of this monumental museum was one of the most critically important pieces of
Grand Opening Week. All of the museum’s robust social media strategies and planning—which had been building
in the months before September—came to a head on Media Day, just 10 days before the Grand Opening.
On September 14, X# journalists from around the world were invited to preview the museum and share
with their audiences.

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6M 106MPEOPLE REACHED

300KDURING GRAND
A NATION IS WITNE SS TO HISTORY

IMPRESSIONS FOR
#MAKINGHISTORY

940MOPENING WEEKEND PEOPLE WATCHED THE
DEDICATION CEREMONY
LIVE ON FACEBOOK

600K
IMPRESSIONS FOR REACTIONS TO MUSEUM’S
#APEOPLESJOURNEY FACEBOOK POSTS

50% GROWTH IN #APEOPLESJOURNEY
THE MUSEUM’S
FACEBOOK PAGE TRENDS NATIONALLY,
HEIGHTENING VISIBILITY

116K 817KMORETHAN $NEARLY

TOTAL TWEETS OF RAISED THROUGH
#APEOPLESJOURNEY, #GIVENMAAHC
#FREEDOMSOUNDS,
#MAKINGHISTORY

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GRAND OPENING SPONSOR PREVIEWS:
MONDAY – WEDNESDAY

FIVE, FOUR, THREE
DAYS TO GO

It was a pleasure and honor to share a special private reception
with you and your clients and customers just days before the
Grand Opening of the museum. Each evening was filled with
the good will and anticipation for the big day.
We hope you enjoyed this insider’s peek into the museum!

“I am a direct descendant of those
Buffalo Soldiers, of the Tuskegee
Airmen, and of the Navy’s Golden
Thirteen, and Montfort Point
Marines, and all the black men
and women who served this
nation in uniform for over three
hundred years.”

— COLIN POWELL

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MAJOR DONOR RECEPTIONS:
WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY

THREE, TWO
DAYS TO GO

Thank you making our donor preview receptions such a
success! Your comments and presence helped the
museum’s donors and key supporters feel a part of
something truly important.

“Bringing the gifts that my
ancestors gave, I am the dream
and the hope of the slave.”

— MAYA ANGELOU

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THE FREEDOM SOUNDS FESTIVAL:
FRIDAY-SUNDAY

As a museum of the people and for the people, opening week “Our stories have
festivities would not have been complete without a celebration shaped every corner
for the public. The Freedom Sounds Festival was a three-day, of our country.”
free community party on the National Mall that welcomed
thousands of children, adults and families. Featuring a diverse — PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
array of entertainers such as the Roots, Public Enemy and the
iconic Preservation Hall Jazz Band and showcasing popular
literature, dance and film, the festival had something for
everyone.

Thanks to you, thousands had the chance to dance, sing, play,
eat, learn—and most of all celebrate—in anticipation of the
museum’s opening.

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FRIDAY

ALMOST THERE…
ONE DAY TO GO

“ENCOURAGHERS” LUNCHEON WHITE HOUSE RECEPTION

Sponsored by Marriott International, Common was the President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
MC for this gathering of nearly 300 women at the Ritz welcomed a core group of museum supporters and
Carlton to celebrate the women who helped make the partners to the White House to thank them and mark a
vision of the museum a reality through their leadership. long-awaited moment in our nation’s history.
In recognition of all the voices that are a part of
history, this special luncheon is soon to become
an annual event.

“For, while the tale of how we suffer, and
we are delighted, and how we may triumph
is never new, it always must be heard.”

— JAMES BALDWIN

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AN EVENING AT THE
JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER
FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

THE NIGHT BEFORE...

Few places carry the dignity and prestige of the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Thanks to your
generous support, we were able to celebrate the museum at
this renowned cultural establishment. It was an evening filled
with memorable musical performances, dance and spoken word
tributes representing the spectrum of African American culture
within the museum’s collection.
We look forward to when this great evening will be televised for
all Americans to enjoy.

“Walking through the museum is like
touching the face of the past that has
allowed you to be who you are.”

— OPRAH WINFREY

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OPENING DAY AND DEDICATION

HERE AT LAST

It was a grand and glorious day as Presidents Obama We thank you for making this such a magnificent and
and Bush, and other dignitaries came together to memorable day.
dedicate the National Museum of African American
History and Culture thirteen years after it was DOORS OPEN AT 1 P.M. ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2016
approved by Congress. They were joined by elected Your generosity helped us keep the museum open
officials, philanthropists, civil rights leaders, notable around the clock during Grand Opening Weekend!
cultural icons, celebrities and thousands of everyday Just hours after the official dedication, families from
Americans watching on the National Mall and across the nation walked through the doors to take
on Facebook. their own journey through history. Xx thousand people
visited the collections across the weekend.
Your generosity helped make this moment one
that few who watched will ever forget. From John “Today a dream long deferred
Lewis to Lonnie Bunch to President Obama, the is a dream no longer.”
speeches were triumphant and eloquent. The voice of
legendary Stevie Wonder and the music of Angelique — FOUNDING DIRECTOR, LONNIE BUNCH III
Kidjo singing “Redemption Song” and Patti LaBelle
passionately declaring “A Change is Gonna Come”
echoed across the National Mall and stirred us all.

PHOTO OF
FAMILY

RINGING BELL

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EVENING GALAS

Two festive thank-you dinners were held at the National
Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Arts
and Industry Building to kick off the special evening.

“The great force of history comes
from the fact that we carry it
within us, are unconsciously
controlled by it…History is literally
present in all that we do.”

— JAMES BALDWIN

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AFTER PARTY

The party continued into the wee hours of the night
as guests walked through the cavernous halls of the
museum exploring exhibitions, dancing and listening to
the music and laughter of celebration.

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OUR HISTORY
CONTINUES

We know that the excitement of the museum’s
opening will continue and we are thrilled that Bank
of America will be such an important part of this
inaugural year. Thousands have visited already and
the museum’s free timed passes are already
“booked” through March 2017.
For generations to come, this museum will provide
powerful context for our times and will forever
be a lasting platform to continue vital national
conversations. We look forward to working with you
to continue weaving a richer and fuller tapestry of
America through the museum.

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WITH THANKS

Thank you for helping us show the nation what all of us together have
accomplished. Bank of America was an early supporter of the museum and we

are so pleased that you can share your contribution to this moment
with your constituents and customers.

We are so grateful that you joined with us to open this first chapter of the
newest Smithsonian museum—a museum that will continue to tell the stories
of triumph and tragedy that shape our great nation today and long into the

future. Because of the excitement generated during the week, millions of
Americans now know that there is a new Smithsonian museum on the National
Mall. This celebration accomplished what we hoped for—building widespread

interest for a museum that we know will endure for years to come.
As a Founding Donor and Grand Opening Sponsor, you are part of a truly

visionary group of philanthropists—partners who both championed the
museum itself and helped bring it across the finish line in grand style so that all

Americans could share in our excitement and national pride.
Thank you for your continued support.

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Smithsonian