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National Civil Rights Museum
450 Mulberry Street
Memphis, TN
38103
Tel: 901-521-9699
Fax: 901-521-9740
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National Civil Rights Museum
After decades of struggle by civil rights activists, and despite the passage of the most powerful civil rights laws in a century in 1964 and 1965, racial discrimination and injustice persisted into the late 1960s. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reflected, “Laws only declare rights; they do not deliver them.” Further efforts were being made to spur delivery of the rights promised by law, when on April 4th 1968, Dr. King, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and acknowledged leader of the civil rights movement, was assassinated.
The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., traces the African American civil rights movement from the earliest days of slavery, examines the effect of racism in American society, and considers issues of poverty and economic and social injustice.
Mission
The National Civil Rights Museum chronicles key episodes of the American civil rights movement and the legacy of this movement to inspire participation in civil and human rights efforts globally, through its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs.
