Obama to attend dedication of African American museum

Evening sunlight skims across the north face of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on July 6. The museum opens to the public Sept. 24. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

It’s official: President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will attend the Sept. 24 dedication ceremony of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Officials originally announced jazz musician Wynton Marsalis would perform a composition created for the event, which begins at 9 a.m. with a musical interlude. However, hours later they retracted that, saying a change to the performance schedule meant he wouldn’t appear. The president will deliver remarks, and there will be other performances.

The Obamas will be joined by former president George W. Bush and Laura Bush; Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who is chancellor of the Smithsonian; Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.); and Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton.

The public can watch the ceremony from the grounds of the Washington Monument, next to the museum. There will be viewing platforms and Jumbotrons.  Following the formal ceremony, the museum will open at 1 p.m.

The Obamas attended the groundbreaking ceremony in 2012, along with Laura Bush.

In 2003, then-President Bush signed the legislation creating the museum. Lewis has long been a proponent of the effort.