National Civil Rights Museum

Barbara Andrews

We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

These were the last words publicly spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., before an overflow audience crammed into Mason Temple on 3 April 1968. Those present on that stormy night and who heard his last words often question if Dr. King knew that this Mountaintop speech would be his last. Prior to that unscripted, unrehearsed, and surprisingly unplanned oration, the Civil Rights protagonist had never spoken of death to such a degree. Did he know that his life was the requirement for this country's inheritance of a civil and just society that is hoped for even to this day?

The aftershock of King's assassination plunged the small minority-owned Lorraine into a long and steep decline. By 1982, the infamous motel was a foreclosed property. It was at this period in time that the Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation to save the Lorraine was formed by a group of prominent Memphians concerned that the property--considered by many to be hallowed ground--would be destroyed through continued neglect and indifference. The Foundation raised $10,000, which brought a short option to buy the Lorraine; however, it was far from the full contract price of $250,000 required, and, consequently, the decayed motel went on the auction block. As fate would have it, in December of that year, the Foundation was able to purchase the Lorraine at auction for $144,000, an amount considerably less than originally planned. Nearly a decade of hard work and determination went into transforming this site of national tragedy into a historical triumph. Today, the Lorraine Motel houses the National Civil Rights Museum.

The National Civil Rights Museum is the first of its kind in the country to provide a comprehensive overview of the Civil Rights Movement. Museum founders began with a vision to bring the movement to life, place the events in historical perspective, and provide a focus of national remembrance. What sets the National Civil Rights Museum apart from like institutions with the objective of civil rights documentation and presentation is its ability to establish that the origins of the Civil Rights Movement date much further back in our country's history than the days of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Rides, and the lunch counter sit-ins. Through interpretive interactive exhibits and audio-visuals displays, museum guests journey back in time to 1619 when Africans first inhabited North America as slaves, they experience the turbulent events of the fifties and sixties, and travel on to 1968 Memphis to relive the events and circumstances that altered a nation.

Comprised of three buildings and accommodating nearly 30,000 square feet of permanent exhibition space, the National Civil Rights Museum's mission is to educate the public in understanding the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement and its impact and influence on human rights movements worldwide. When the museum opened it doors in September 1991, less than one-third of all Americans had firsthand knowledge of the civil rights movement. Since that time, the museum has hosted nearly half a million people. Through collections, research, exhibitions, and programs, the award winning institution is able to serve as an educational foundation for the most significant era of modern American history.

On its eleventh anniversary, the museum opened "Exploring the Legacy," an $11 million, three-year expansion project. Exploring the Legacy moves the museum experience beyond the assassination of Dr. King and allows visitors to examine what happened as a result of the horrific events of 4 April 1968. The civil rights story continues with inspiring interactive displays and documentary exhibits that speak to the accomplishments of the movement and how its successes are made manifest. While the National Civil Rights Museum documents acts of civil disobedience enacted upon those who fought for freedom and equality, it equally acknowledges and celebrates the achievements, milestones, and benchmarks of individuals who vigorously fought--and still fight--to be free.

Barbara Andrews is curator of exhibitions and collections at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.