Original Memphis – National Civil Rights Museum

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Focus Mid-South

Ray Rico, a Latinx advocate, owns a digital marketing agency and publishes Focus LGBT magazine, amplifying LGBTQ+ voices in Tennessee and the Mid-South. He champions HIV advocacy, fighting stigma and discrimination. Through his work, Ray strives for a more inclusive society.
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Photos used with permission ©2017 National Civil Rights Museum

450 MULBERRY | MEMPHIS, TN 38103 | CIVILRIGHTSMUSEUM.ORG

The Memphis Sanitation Strike brought Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis in April of 1968 to rally support for the sanitation workers’ strike. He was murdered during that visit on April 4. It was one of the city’s darkest hours. Now, on the site of his murder at the Lorraine Motel, sits the National Civil Rights Museum, one of the city’s – and country’s – brightest lights. The museum tells America’s Civil Rights Story concentrating on the seminal events of the 1950’s and 1960’s: the Montgomery Bus Boycott; Brown vs. Board of Topeka; The March on Washington; The Freedom Rides; Selma Voting Rights Campaign; Black Power; Room 306 and 307; Black Pride; and the life and death of Dr. King.

The site of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
The site of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.

 

 

Since its opening in 1991, the Museum exists to assist the public in understanding the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement and its impact and influence on human rights movements worldwide. In September 2002 “Exploring the Legacy,” the $11 million dollar expansion provided an additional 12,800 square feet of exhibition space. It includes the building where James Earl Ray allegedly fired the shot that killed Dr. King, and never before seen evidence surrounding the assassination.  In 2008, the Museum launched a $40 million capital and endowment campaign, of which $28 million was for major renovation and $12 million was for Museum endowment. The renovation of the historic Lorraine Motel was completed April 2014.

A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is accredited by the Alliance of American Museums, a founding member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, and a member of several historical and museum associations. It has been recognized as TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Top 5% of U.S. Museums, USA Today’s Top 10 Best American Iconic Attractions; Top 10 Best Historical Spots in the U.S. by TLC’s Family Travel; Must See by the Age of 15 by Budget Travel and Kids; Top 10, American Treasures by USA Today; and Best Memphis Attraction by The Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Business Journal.

 

A recreated slave ship hold with 3-dimensional figures invites visitors to crouch with them to imagine spending three months of the middle passage in that position.
A recreated slave ship hold with 3-dimensional figures invites visitors to crouch with them to imagine spending three months of the middle passage in that position.
A model of a burned bus depicting the May 14, 1961 Greyhound bus bombing in Anniston, Ala. The bus carried Freedom Riders from Atlanta who were protesting the Jim Crow laws, and testing the segregation policies of bus stations along their ride through the South.
A model of a burned bus depicting the May 14, 1961 Greyhound bus bombing in Anniston, Ala. The bus carried Freedom Riders from Atlanta who were protesting the Jim Crow laws, and testing the segregation policies of bus stations along their ride through the South.

 

HOURS OF OPERATION:

M/W/TH/F/SA – 9-5;  Sunday 1-5 pm; Closed Tuesdays
Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Open until 6 pm;
Free Period for Tennessee residents with state issued
ID – Mondays 3 pm-close.

ADMISSION:

Adults – $15;  Seniors & College Students with ID – $14
Children 4-17 – $12; Members, Children 3 & under – Free
Group rates available.

Picture of Focus Mid-South

Focus Mid-South

Ray Rico, a Latinx advocate, owns a digital marketing agency and publishes Focus LGBT magazine, amplifying LGBTQ+ voices in Tennessee and the Mid-South. He champions HIV advocacy, fighting stigma and discrimination. Through his work, Ray strives for a more inclusive society.
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