The National Museum of African American History and Culture

A beautiful and moving groundbreaking ceremony was held this morning for the Smithsonian's 19th museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The museum, which is being built on the The Mall in Washington, D.C., will be devoted to the documentation of African American life, art, history, and culture. President Obama, speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, noted that the idea for the museum had been "a long time coming," as the idea was first proposed by black veterans who had fought for the Union in the Civil War.

Congressman John Lewis, a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, who President Obama referred to as "my hero," spoke movingly of the museum and its meaning. Congressman Lewis had worked for years in Congress on the legislation to create the museum.

The museum is scheduled to open in 2015. The groundbreaking ceremony was broadcast on C-Span, and a video of the event can be viewed on the C-Span web site. The network also plans to rebroadcast the event.

News coverage of the event has appeared at NPR, CNN, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, the Washington Post, and the New York Times.

Update: The Smithsonian has posted a video of the entire event to its YouTube channel.

Photograph: President Obama speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the National Museum of African American History and Culture/Getty Images