Historical Feature
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…
Historical Feature
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.
From the Collection
By Dr. Noelle Trent Director of Interpretation, Collections and Education In 2020, we respond to news and events within seconds on Social Media; however, in 1968 the American public responded to news and events through…
From the Collection
Among the interstingly novel artifacts in the National Civil Rights Museum’s collection is a model slave cabin donated to the museum along with figurines, furniture and accessories.
From the Collection
One of the unique collections housed at the National Civil Rights Museum is the Evidence Collection, related to the trial of Martin Luther King’s assassin James Earl Ray. Among the 1,760 items in this collection is the…
Historical Feature
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.
Historical Feature
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…
Historical Feature
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.
From the Collection
For this month’s blog, I want to share two photographs from our Lorraine Motel archive collection. The National Civil Rights Museum provides an engaging narrative of the civil rights struggle, but few know the story…
From the Collection
Jim Crow restrictions separated the races in America in every aspect of public life. Restaurants, buses, trains, restrooms, theatres, water fountains and workplaces posted “White Only” and “Colored” signs to remind…
Letter from the President
Photo Credit: LBJ Library photo by Cecil Stoughton By Dr. Russ Wigginton Guest Columnist The Civil Rights Act Did Not Solve Racism The enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not diminish the racial violence…
Program Write-up
by Ryan M. Jones, Associate Curator Sixty years ago, the state of Mississippi was a hotbed for civil rights. It led the nation in racially motivated violence, and less than 3% of the black population was registered to…