Lonnie Bunch receives honorary degree

The founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture received an honorary doctor of humane letters from Georgetown University Jan. 25.

Lonnie Bunch III receives an honorary degree during a ceremony at Georgetown University Jan. 25.

Understanding the nation through the lens of the African American experience gives people the chance to “realize that we are more alike than we are different,” said Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, at Georgetown yesterday.

Bunch was on campus to receive an honorary doctor of humane letters from Georgetown for his role in the creation of the historic museum, which has welcomed nearly 1 million visitors since it opened this past fall.

“For us, this museum had to be a place where people actually found the truth,” the curator and author explained. “But equally important, we had to have people understand that this museum was not a museum for black people by black people.”

“That in essence, this is a museum that said if you care about America, if you care about our ideals, if you care about our notions of spirituality, optimism, resiliency, this is the place for you,” he explained. Read more from Georgetown University.

Watch the full ceremony:

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