National Civil Rights Museum News

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Category: National Civil Rights Museum

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

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... Read More

at Wednesday, January 27, 2021

National Civil Rights Museum Terri Lee Freeman MLK50 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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... Read More

at Thursday, January 7, 2021

riots Capitol Hill Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Civil Rights Museum protest peaceful protest

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... Read More

Bayard Rustin civil rights Civil Rights Movement Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Civil Rights Museum March on Washington A. Phillip Randolph gay rights LGBTQ

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

The National Civil Rights Museum Celebrates Black Music Month Music has been intrinsically linked with the Civil Rights Movement and African American history. Our celebration of Black Music Month began as a way to connect with you during this pandemic. However, as the current moment has unfolded, it has become a way for us to use music to educate, heal, reflect, and inspire. Each week, we will release a themed playlist curated by the NCRM staff. Share with us your recommendations using... Read More

Coretta Scott King National Civil Rights Museum Billie Holiday Nina Simone freedom Black Music Month revolution protest Frederick Douglass Fannie Lou Hamer Patrisse Cullors resistance NWA Martha & The Vandellas Sweet Honey in the Rock Gil Scott-Heron Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five Bernice Johnson Reagon

Thursday, May 28, 2020

The Very Real Pain of Racism

By Terri Lee Freeman, Museum President I have always looked at the glass as half full as opposed to empty. But even so, I consider myself more of a pragmatist than an optimist. As an African American woman, I’ve experienced how ugly the world can be. I’ve experienced both blatant and more insidious racism. I’ve been called a nigger. I’ve been assumed to be the assistant to my white CFO when, in fact, I was the CEO. I’ve watched... Read More

at Thursday, May 28, 2020

discrimination National Civil Rights Museum racism George Floyd Ahmaud Arbery Emmett Till Christian Cooper Eric Garner Trayvon Martin equality 2nd Amendment Amy Cooper freedom oppression

Black America Gets Pneumonia

From Black Enterprise , May 24, 2020 by Terri Lee Freeman Just as 9/11 defined the new millennium, the novel coronavirus will certainly be the story of the decade. The global pandemic has caused a devastating public health crisis, initiated a global economic disaster, and in the United States, pulled back the curtain on the deep-rooted racial inequities that persist. Just as COVID-19 is a deadly virus, so is the disease of racism, particularly systemic racism.... Read More

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Civil Rights Museum poverty Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic racism inequities essential workers

Thursday, May 14, 2020

We Were Prepared to Die: Freedom Riders

Fifty-nine years ago, the Freedom Rides of 1961 entered the state of Alabama. Potential violence awaited in Anniston and Birmingham. Below, the backstory of how the Freedom Rides began and how one of the most pivotal protests in the Civil Rights Movement came about. While we know the names of notable activists like James Lawson and Diane Nash, there are numerous overlooked details behind the scenes of this epic event. The Freedom Riders story began fifteen years earlier in 1946 when... Read More

at Thursday, May 14, 2020

National Civil Rights Museum civil rights James Lawson John Lewis Diane Nash Parchman Prison Robert F Kennedy Joan Trumpauer Mulholland Ross Barnett Bull Connor Freedom Riders J Edgar Hoover Wyatt Tee Walker

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

National Civil Rights Museum Terri Lee Freeman New York Times Magazine slavery

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