 In his speech at the dedication of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., September 24, 2016, President Barack Obama delivered what he termed a, quote, clear-eyed view of a tragic and triumphant history of black Americans in the United States. He spoke of a history that is central to the larger American story, one that is both contradictory and extraordinary. He likened the African American experience to the infinite depths of Shakespeare and Scripture.