Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 2417 NOVEMER 2016 BODY OF CHRIST NEWS A Monument Not Just A Museum There are various words that can describe the newest Monument on the Washington Mall. Did I say Monument? Yes Monument that is precisely what the new National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) happens to be a monument. No longer is the Washington Monument the first monument on the mall the NMAAHC is now number 1. Over 500 thousand people from all around the world cane to the grand opening and dedication of this of the latest monuments in our nation’s capital. President George W. Bush (#43) stated that there were many tomes that he and congress did not see eye to eye with the exception of this monument and the placement of it. He went on to say in is in its rightful place as the first monument on the mall; in a city built with slave labor by black men and women and their sweat, blood and tears. I had the honor of being one of the first 10,000 people and one of the first 100 photographers allowed in this monument making history myself. To visit this masterpiece you need time entry tickets which cost noth- ing just go to: https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/passes Do understand that this is The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture so entry is free however, they allow 50,000 people in a day and it is sold out until after March 2017. Visiting the NMAAHC needs to be on everyone’s bucket list the base- ment alone is full of data of the slave trade, middle passage and all the countries that had Africans as slaves. Emit Tills casket is on display as well as Nat Turners Bible. On the second floor you use all the resources of The Smithsonian and Ancestry. com to research your heritage as pictured here, all the way back to your African village and the voyage our people as hey crosses the Atlantic. To see more of the images we took visit our website astars.photore- flect.com — By Vern L. Howard