“We are gathered here today to dedicate a building. But this is more than a building. This is a dream come true.” Rep. John Lewis said. He’s spent 15 years fighting for this museum. 

On Saturday, he was there at the opening of the realized dream, which he called “this great monument to our pain, our suffering, and our victory.”

Lewis became emotional as he spoke about growing up in the cotton fields of Alabama. In school, a teacher encouraged him to learn about great African Americans. “I became inspired by the stories of George Washington Carver, Jackie Robinson, and Rosa Parks,” he said. Those stories are now honored and told in the museum he helped to bring to life.