National Civil Rights Museum | At the Lorraine Motel

The Greatest Civil Rights Story Ever told

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This history is more important than ever.  We remain seriously committed to the safety of our guests and staff and to sharing the stories that changed our nation. We invite you to be a change maker. Schedule your visit the National Civil Rights Museum.

Plan Your Visit
  • hotel exterior

    This is the History Behind the Movement

    Slavery. Separate but equal. Boycotts. Assassinations. Black power. This is the history of the uprising that pushed national and international civil rights forward.

    Visit the Museum
  • NCRM events

    Museum Events. The Reawakening.

    Exciting events, extraordinary speakers and special guests turn civil rights history into a one-of-a-kind museum experience

    Be in the Moment
  • I Am A Man

    This Is The Story Of A People

    Of hopes and dreams, of challenge and change. It is an American story. This story and struggle that started many centuries ago, continues today — with you.

    Experience the Story

Museum Events

Freedom Award

Since 1991, we have honored our brothers and sisters who have worked to push the movement forward. Their legacies have crossed color lines, cultural divisions and spanned across the globe.

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2022 Freedom Award Student Forum

The National Civil Rights Museum’s celebration for and by young trailblazers, the Freedom Award Student Forum, is opening its virtual doors worldwide. The program kicks off the Freedom Award festivities and is an opportunity for students to engage virtually with this year’s Freedom Award honorees, Taylor Branch, Isabel Wilkerson, and Frederick W. Smith. The event live stream is free and open to classrooms, schools, and youth centers globally. Registration is highly encouraged and is available online.

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The Movement Made Us

David Dennis Sr., a core architect of the Civil Rights Movement, speaks out for the first time, swapping recollections both harrowing and joyful with David Jr., a journalist working on the front lines of change today. The Movement Made Us is a unique work of oral history and memoir chronicling the extraordinary story of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Communities for Immunity

Through the Communities for Immunity project, the museum is sharing online resources and a survey to gauge response to the urgency of COVID and getting vaccinated. 

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Donate

Your gift will keep history alive for all generations.

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Join

Museum members receive complimentary visits, invitations to special events, gift shop discounts and other benefits.

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Shop

Continue your museum experience with inspirational and unique gifts.

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Featured Exhibits

Men of Change: Taking It to the Streets

Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets presents the profiles of two dozen significant Black men across the decades. Through striking images and the poetic cadence of hip-hop language, visitors are invited to see these revolutionary men who have altered the history and culture of the country and learn from their journey. Free and open to the public, this outdoor installation is exhibiting from September 10–December 16, 2022.

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A Better Life for Their Children

A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America is a photography exhibition about Rosenwald Schools built in the segregated South from 1912 to 1937 that transformed education for Black students. Showing August 18, 2022-January 2, 2023.

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Voices of the Civil Rights Movement

This walk-up kiosk combines two video archives into one interactive display. The exhibit runs for multiple years.

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From the Vault: Collections Blog

Check out the latest artifacts and photos From the Vault, our collections blog.

From the Vault

National Civil Rights Museum Blogs

There’s plenty of history in the making here at the National Civil Rights Museum.

Museum Statement Regarding the Passing of Bill Russell

The National Civil Rights Museum mourns the passing of 2011 Freedom Award honoree and sports pioneer, William Felton Russell. Following baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s example,...

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Museum Launches Corporate Equity Center with AutoZone Support

The National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM) announces its launch of the Corporate Equity Center. The NCRM’s Corporate Equity Center will provide programs to learn, discuss,...

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Museum Statement Regarding the Passing of Sidney Poitier

The National Civil Rights Museum joins the world in grieving the loss of a great icon and its 2001 Freedom Award honoree, Mr. Sidney Poitier. Poitier...

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