Fredricka Whitfield: ‘It’s Going to Be a Very Emotional Experience’

For CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield, reporting on the opening Saturday of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture was a uniquely personal assignment.

Whitfield’s father, Mal Whitfield, is part of the new exhibit. Whitfield, an Olympian and Tuskegee Airman, won five Olympic medals and later became an American diplomat. Visitors will see his original flight suit, and a pair of shoes he wore while competing in the Olympics.

“I can’t imagine what it will be like for my family or the other families to see these exhibits for the first time,” Whitfield said. “I know its going to be very emotional experience.”