National Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum documents for visitors the Civil Rights Movement from slavery during the 1800s to human rights movements taking place today. Providing guests with interactive exhibitions and touching historical contexts, the museum proves popular with thousands of visitors flocking to see the museum each year.  

Following the aftershock of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. two rooms inside Lorraine Hotel where Dr. King was shot, turned into a shrine for the civil rights leader.  The hotel was preserved through the years by a group of Memphians and was officially opened to the public on Sept. 28, 1991. The museum has since expanded and records more than 5 million visitors to the site.  

Resting on more than four acres and expanding to more than 47,000 square feet of space, the attraction features 18 exhibitions in the main Lorraine building and 11 exhibitions in the Exploring the Legacy expansion building. The permanent and temporary exhibitions, collections and educational programs chronicle key episodes of the American civil rights movement in an interactive way.  

The exhibitions range in topics and provide a comprehensive look into the civil rights movement. the 'Organization' exhibition recounts the establishment of various civil rights groups that helped increase awareness of the movement; the 'Protest' exhibition includes the stories of protesters who sounded off against the lynchings and mistreatment of African-Americans and their supporters; the 'Sit-Ins' exhibitions shows a human-sized statues of African-Americans sitting at a diner scene, protesting after being denied service at Woolworth's lunch counter.  

The museum features self-guided and group tours. Museum hours are 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sundays; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Tuesdays. As an added bonus to Tennessee residents, the museum offers free admission at 3 p.m.-5 p.m. each Monday with valid state-issued identification. This offer is not applicable for tour groups and operators, and also not valid during holidays and special events.  

 

 

- by Leah M. Caudle , Memphis Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Leah M. Caudle

Leah Caudle is a professional storyteller with experience in covering local, community and feature stories. While at newspapers such as The Tennessean in Nashville and The Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Ky., Caudle also has experience in shooting and editing videos and photos to accompany stories. The Western Kentucky University graduate received degrees in print journalism and Spanish in 2007 and also has expertise in the areas of public relations, copy editing and proofreading.