## Migration reference **Live site:** https://civilrightsmuseum.org/story/take-it-to-the-bridge/ **Export file:** /www/ncrmdev_939/vc-copy-export/ncrm-media-2936-take-it-to-the-bridge.md **Old post ID:** 2936 > **Status:** Essay-style voice entry — reference copy below for block editor — MEMPHIS — July 10 marks the anniversary of the largest spontaneous act of civil disobedience in the city’s modern history. The spark: The police killings of two black men […]
Category: Historical Feature
Go deep on the people, events, and turning points that shaped the civil rights movement, and connect them to the issues communities face now. Museum historians and staff examine figures like Emmett Till, Frederick Douglass, and the Freedom Riders, alongside present-day questions from police violence to the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. Every piece ties documented history to why it still matters.
MLK50: Special Report
## Migration reference **Live site:** https://civilrightsmuseum.org/story/mlk50-special-report/ **Export file:** /www/ncrmdev_939/vc-copy-export/ncrm-media-2937-mlk50-special-report.md **Old post ID:** 2937 > **Status:** Essay-style voice entry — reference copy below for block editor — “The summer of 2016 was filled with protests all across the country. People took to the streets in Baton Rouge, where Alton Sterling was killed by a police officer. […]
In their own words
## Migration reference **Live site:** https://civilrightsmuseum.org/story/in-their-own-words/ **Export file:** /www/ncrmdev_939/vc-copy-export/ncrm-media-2938-in-their-own-words.md **Old post ID:** 2938 > **Status:** Essay-style voice entry — reference copy below for block editor — Stories can be fragile. People can jumble them, overtake them and twist them. Told again and again, the details can be exaggerated, emphasized or erased. But the people of […]
When A City Fails to Hear
## Migration reference **Live site:** https://civilrightsmuseum.org/story/when-a-city-fails-to-hear/ **Export file:** /www/ncrmdev_939/vc-copy-export/ncrm-media-2939-when-a-city-fails-to-hear.md **Old post ID:** 2939 > **Status:** Essay-style voice entry — reference copy below for block editor — The July 10, 2016, protest that shut down the Hernando DeSoto Bridge threw solidarity on the streets of Memphis into sharp relief. The city hadn’t seen spontaneous support for […]
A.W. Willis, Jr. at 100: Honoring a Legacy of Courage and Commitment
On March 16, 2025, the National Civil Rights Museum proudly celebrates the 100th birthday of A.W. Willis, Jr., a trailblazing attorney, businessman, and civil rights leader who dedicated his life to justice and equality. Willis’ legacy is one of historic firsts – barriers broken, institutions reformed, and a relentless fight for the rights of African […]
President Jimmy Carter: A Giant Among Leaders
The National Civil Rights Museum joins the world in mourning the passing of President Jimmy Carter. A giant among leaders and a true example of the highest ideals of public service, President Carter’s legacy will forever be etched in history. As a recipient of the Museum’s 1994 Freedom Award and the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, […]
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 […]
Honoring Jazz: an early American art form
This post contains mature language. April is National Jazz Appreciation Month. Jazz remains a highly celebrated art form and inspires artists in other genres to this day. Jazz music had a critical role in the Civil Rights Movement and was integral to African American history. The music genre was born from the work songs of […]
John Lewis: Freedom Rider
In a 1961 strategy meeting, members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) gather in Alabama to discuss their next moves. Key among them is a young activist named John Lewis, a member of SNCC who had been attacked by the Ku Klux Klan in Rock Hill, South […]
James H. Laue
Photographs taken at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968, have indelibly etched our museum’s landmark in America’s collective memory. These famous images were taken in the midst of the chaos that ensued after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot on the balcony outside Room 306. In the first photo, Shelby County Sherriff’s Deputy […]
Letter to Coretta Scott King
The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, caused shock throughout America. His loss was mourned not only in our country, but throughout the whole world, and people’s reactions ran the gamut of emotions. Both civil rights organizers and the federal government urged citizens to exercise calm, but nevertheless, violence broke […]
Ben Branch
Musician Ben Branch was at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. He had returned to his hometown at the behest of the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) and Dr. Martin Luther King to participate and play at an upcoming rally. In an interview for the Library of Congress oral history project, Branch […]