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Category: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Museum Statement Regarding the Passing of Harry Belafonte

The National Civil Rights Museum joins the world in grieving the loss of a civil rights activist, cultural legend, and its 1999 Freedom Award honoree, Mr. Harry Belafonte. Belafonte was a charismatic, candid, and compassionate activist who used his platform to advance civil and human rights in America and abroad.  From his early years of meteoric rise to celebrity in the 1950s, he was connected to the American Civil Rights Movement and put his money where his mouth was by funding th... Read More
Posted by Connie Dyson at Tuesday, April 25, 2023
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Letter to the Community: Response to Video in the Murder of Tyre Nichols

LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY “Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his speech “Beyond Vietnam,” April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church in New York City.   Watching the horrible circumstances that resulted in Tyre Nichols’ death is hard to stomach. It’s never okay to normalize the beating of Black bodies, regardless of the aggressor. It is u... Read More
civil rights Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Civil Rights Museum police brutality Tyre Nichols

Sunday, July 31, 2022

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, Bill Russell believed it was his responsibility as a celebrity to use his platform to stand up for positive social change. Bill Russell was an outspoken advocate for civil rights. He was one of the first celebrities to proudly call himself “Black,” when “Negro" was still the accepted and... Read More
at Sunday, July 31, 2022
basketball Bill Russell Boston Celtics Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Award National Basketball Association National Civil Rights Museum Olympics Presidential Medal of Freedom

Monday, October 18, 2021

Museum Statement on the Passing of Secretary Colin Powell

The National Civil Rights Museum expresses deep sorrow in the passing of 1997 Freedom Award honoree, Secretary Colin L. Powell. Secretary Powell was appointed by President George W. Bush as the 65th Secretary of State in 2000, becoming the first African American Secretary of State in the U.S.  Powell was a professional soldier for 35 years, during which time he held a myriad of command and staff positions and rose to the rank of four-star general.  His last assignment, from October... Read More
at Monday, October 18, 2021
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Thursday, July 1, 2021

Museum Selects Russell Wigginton as New President

The National Civil Rights Museum has named Dr. Russell Wigginton as the museum’s next president.  Wigginton will begin his new position on August 1. He brings 29 years of experience in education, philanthropy, executive management and program development, as well as strategic planning and partnership building. Museum Board Chairman Herb Hilliard stated, “We are fortunate to be able to attract someone of Russ’s background and experience to serve as our next President. &... Read More
at Thursday, July 1, 2021
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Civil Rights Museum Russell Wigginton

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Statement on the Verdict of the Derek Chauvin Case on the Murder of George Floyd

The verdict is in. Derek Chavin is guilty on all counts. What does this mean? Justice was served in this case. Justice prevailed. But the justice we need is bigger than the verdict of this one case. Hopefully, this case will set a precedent for the verdicts to come for the many other victims of unjust police killings. We thank the jury for bravely doing the right thing. Our heart is with George Floyd’s family who has endured the devastation of his death. In too many instances, with to... Read More
at Tuesday, April 20, 2021
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Farewell Terri

By Herb Hilliard Chair, Museum Board of Directors Terri Lee Freeman answered the call to lead the National Civil Rights Museum in November 2014. She arrived just a few months after the museum’s most expansive renovation. She came to the museum understanding the huge investment and brought with her a new perspective on what the museum could represent in not only telling the story of the civil rights movement, but extending the story through the museum’s outreach and engagemen... Read More
at Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. MLK50 National Civil Rights Museum Terri Lee Freeman

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Museum Statement Regarding the Insurrection at Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021

Museum Statement Regarding the Insurrection at Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 Dr. King once said, “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.” Words matter.  Leadership matters. The siege on Capitol Hill yesterday during the joint Congress’ ratification of the presidential election should be condemned, not coddled. What the world witnessed yesterday was not a protest, but a riotous mob and an insurrection. We need to call it wh... Read More
at Thursday, January 7, 2021
Capitol Hill Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Civil Rights Museum peaceful protest protest riots

Dear White People

I write this letter today because I am both exhausted and frustrated. I can only imagine what Dr. King was feeling when he wrote his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. I'm angry at a nation that I love but doesn’t seem to love me back. Recently, we got a first-hand look at the two justice systems that exist in our America – one for Blacks and one for Whites. Kenosha, Wisconsin, a city with a Black population of 11.46%, was the site of a recent police shooting of a Black man. We... Read More
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Bayard Rustin: Strategist, Organizer, Unifier

As he approached the podium, Bayard Rustin was determined and elated. He expected about 100,000 marchers to converge at the Washington Monument on August 28, 1963. To his delight, approximately 250,000 people cheered as he listed the demands of the march. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom began after eight weeks of recruiting marchers, coordinating buses and marshals, scheduling speakers, and managing logistics. Despite Rustin’s critical role as the march’s chief organi... Read More
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