Letters: Smithsonian’s African American museum documents ascension

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is huge and divided into five levels. The building is divided by chronology. The basement holds artifacts and information from the earliest history dealing with the slave trade, Middle Passage and more. I lingered too long there, often fighting tears. And I was too ashamed to make eye contact with the many black visitors. Finally, out of time, I rode the escalator up several levels. I moved past Reconstruction and the Jim Crow years. Past segregation and the Martin Luther King Jr. sections. I went up toward the “Spirit of Tuskegee” hanging from the ceiling. The blue and yellow Stearman PT 13-D was used to train black pilots from 1944 to 1946. Of course with each level, the history of black lives improved toward more political and socio-economic equality. On the top floor were exhibits on Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and former President Barack Obama. The escalator was a long one, and slow. But I saw it didn’t need to be. Those around me who stepped on as they rode could accelerate their ascent. WILL FELTS James Island NC a poor example Regarding the Jan. 9 editorial on Gov. Henry...