ms. nichols, they have contributed a lot. but it's up to us to challenge the educational institutions in the school system to really push the information out to our kids. and i appreciate you, because i really appreciate this panel and for what they're doing now. thank you very much. >> thank you. [ applause ] i have a question for you, ms. nichols. we were morning the charleston museum, which i guess is the oldest museum in the country. you are at the largest museum in the world, i guess. people of african descent have been in this country since 1619. what happened? what was sort of the politics or what happened that is bringing the new museum of african-american history to life at this time? >> well, actually, it was earlier than that where african-american civil war veterans were calling for this kind of commemoration. we had the leadership of someone like john lewis, who really pushed for this national african-american museum, and its time has come. and african-americans need to be represented in these kinds of cultural i

ms. nichols. we were this morning at the charleston museum, which i guess is the oldest museum in the country. you are at the largest museum in the world, i guess. people of african descent have been in this country since 1619. what happened? what was sort of the politics or what happened that is bringing the new museum of african-american history to life at this time? >> well, actually, it was earlier than that where african-american civil war veterans were calling for this kind of commemoration. we had the leadership of someone like john lewis, who really pushed for this national african-american museum, and its time has come. and african-americans need to be represented in these kinds of cultural institutions. >> you have a question, sir? >> i might add on that that a major part of the civil rights movement of the 1960s was the establishment of african-american studies, which was to make it possible for african-americans to review their own history, write their own history, and develop an under

ms. nicholls. so we have a wonderful panel and i'm excited to turn it over to -- go ahead. >> thank you, michael, i'm so glad to be here this evening, with my distinguished colleagues on this very auspicious occasion. and let me start by just saying that the name robert smalls of course became legion in south carolina and in many other places around the country during the civil war and after the civil war. robert smalls was a war hero, he would become a political leader with national influence. his life was indeed the stuff of legend. the story is told down in buford, example, where smalls was born that on one occasion, two african-american men were walking down the road and they were discussing great men and what constituted great men and who great men were. and the one man asserted that robert smalls is probably the greatest man on earth. the man that he was talking to said that smalls was certainly great, but he wasn't the greatest man on effort aarth and he knew someone even greater. and the fi