News | National Civil Rights Museum

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

400 Years Later. The Historical Truth.

Sometime around August 20, 1619 (the exact date is not known), a ship arrived on the shores of Point Comfort, Virginia with between 20 and 30 Africans…and thus the Inter-Atlantic theft and enslavement of African people began. Thanks to the 1619 Project, an initiative of the New York Times , spearheaded by Nikole Hannah Jones, a staff writer for New York Times Magazine and a 2017 MacArthur Fellow, we have accurate information being openly discussed in the media about the true... Read More

at Tuesday, September 24, 2019

More #StolenLives

MORE #STOLENLIVES When will it be enough? by Terri Lee Freeman President, National Civil Rights Museum In the span of 24 hours America was shaken by the report of two mass shootings resulting in the deaths of 31 people – 22 killed at a WalMart in El Paso, TX and 9 killed in Dayton, OH in an entertainment district. Not unlike most everyone who breathes fresh air, my heart grieves for every family that said good-bye to their loved ones, not expecting it would be so... Read More

Posted by Connie Dyson

National Civil Rights Museum immigration Terri Lee Freeman #StolenLives Mass Shooting Gun Violence El Paso, TX Dayton, OH

Museum Receives Top Honor

The National Civil Rights Museum is among 10 institutions the Institute of Museum and Library Services announced today as recipients of the 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service s , the nation’s highest honor given to libraries and museums that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Over the past 25 years, the award has celebrated institutions that are making a difference for individuals, families, and communities. Selected from 30... Read More

National Civil Rights Museum Institute of Museum and Library Services National Medal Terri Lee Freeman

VOTER SUPPRESSION IS VOTER SUPPRESSION

Voter Suppression IS Voter Suppression By Terri Lee Freeman, National Civil Rights Museum President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Acts of 1965 with the intent of eliminating the legal barriers imposed at the state and local levels to prevent African Americans from exercising their legal right to vote as stated in the 15th Amendment. That amendment was ratified in 1870 and it guaranteed voting rights to all men regardless of race. It’s... Read More

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Civil Rights Museum voting rights 15th Amendment 19th Amendment 1965 Voting Rights Act Civil Rights Movement Tennessee

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Museum Mourns the Passing of Freedom Award Honoree Frank Robinson

We are saddened by the passing of baseball icon Frank Robinson, a Hall of Famer, two-time MVP, and MLB’s first African-American manager. He was honored by the National Civil Rights Museum with the Freedom Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. His contributions to civil rights and baseball were many, including the integration of black players in the league. While he was with us for the Freedom Award, he spoke often about the impact his mentor Jackie Robinson, who broke Major League... Read More

Posted by Connie Dyson at Thursday, February 7, 2019

Frank Robinson Freedom Award

America Has a Hate Problem

By Terri Lee Freeman, Museum President Our issues of hate are killing our country… still. Last fall, we witnessed NBC Today Show host Megyn Kelly state, “…when I was a kid that [using blackface] was okay if you were dressing up as a character.” Uh…no, Ms. Kelly, it wasn’t okay then, and it isn’t okay now. And now, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s racist exploits, either as Michael Jackson in... Read More

Monday, November 5, 2018

Let’s stop tearing down community and build something we can all be proud of

By Terri Lee Freeman In early October the National Civil Rights Museum, along with Bridges and Facing History and Ourselves, launched a campaign to encourage empathy. Our Open Up. Spark a Connection. campaign was created to get people to do just what it says, open up ! In the face of our national discourse, or possibly the lack thereof, being empathetic and recognizing the “others” as ourselves couldn’t be more important. ... Read More

at Monday, November 5, 2018

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Civil Rights Museum Bridges Facing History and Ourselves empathy Tree of Life Synagogue domestic terrorism bullying #SparkAConnection

How are the Children?

I often think of a customary greeting in some African countries, ‘How are the Children?” The response is generally, “The children are well.” The question is asked because child well-being is a good measure of community well-being. Regrettably, we cannot provide that response. By all measures the children are not at all well. The policy to separate children from parents who illegally cross the border, emphasizes just how poorly the children are,... Read More

poverty immigration children border cage chain-linked fence juvenile justice system Homeland Security citizenship immoral cruel

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Thank You!

By Terri Lee Freeman Museum President A little over a month ago, we were singularly focused on MLK50. Not just the commemoration itself, but for the National Civil Rights Museum, each individual event. We worked to ensure that people were where they needed to be, that programs were rich in content and scope, that the speakers, panelists, civil rights icons and new movement makers were in place to share their stories and perspectives, that the logistics, technology, broadcasts... Read More

at Wednesday, May 9, 2018

MLK50 National Civil Rights Museum Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 50th Commemoration King assassination poverty symposium University of Memphis Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change United Way Poverty Unplugged Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis Community Foundation of Greater Memphis vote

In Memoriam - Art Shay

By Dr. Noelle N. Trent, Director of Interpretation, Collections & Education Nearly one month after his 96th birthday, April 28, Chicago-based, Bronx-born photographer Art Shay passed away. The name Art Shay may be unfamiliar, but his work is prominently featured in the museum’s newest exhibition MLK50: A Legacy Remembered . I first became acquainted with Shay’s work, when his archivist Erica called me, and asked... Read More

National Civil Rights Museum News

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