Civil Rights Memorial

The Civil Rights Memorial is a special place in Montgomery, Alabama created by the artist Maya Lin. It honors 41 brave people who lost their lives during the civil rights movement. These individuals stood up for fairness and equality for everyone, no matter their background.

The memorial features a beautiful granite fountain where the names of these important people are carved. It serves as a reminder of their courage and the change they helped bring about. The memorial is supported by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that works to make the world a better place for all.

Design

The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama honors 41 people who lost their lives between 1955 and 1968, a time when unfair separation of people by race was common in the United States. This period began after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separating children by race in schools was wrong, and ended with the death of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

The memorial was created by artist Maya Lin, known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.. It was finished and opened to the public in 1989. The design features a special stone shape with a gentle flow of water. This water helps people feel calm and think about important ideas. On the stone, you can find the names of those who were part of the struggle for equal rights. The water moves over the stone and can be touched, creating a smooth, changing surface. The memorial shows a timeline from 1954 to 1968, marking key moments in the fight for fairness and equality.

Tours and location

The Civil Rights Memorial is located in downtown Montgomery at 400 Washington Avenue. It sits in an open plaza in front of the Civil Rights Memorial Center, which used to be the offices of the Southern Poverty Law Center before moving across the street in 2001. Visitors can see the memorial anytime, day or night, every day of the week.

The Civil Rights Memorial Center offers guided group tours that last about an hour. These tours can be booked from Monday to Saturday. The memorial is close to many important historical places, such as the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, the Alabama State Capitol, the Alabama Department of Archives and History, the spots where Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks made their stand in 1955, and the Rosa Parks Library and Museum.

Names included

The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, created by artist Maya Lin, lists the names of 41 people who lost their lives during the civil rights movement. These individuals are remembered as heroes who stood up for equal rights. The memorial is supported by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

There is also a display at the Civil Rights Memorial Center that lists 74 more people, called "The Forgotten." These names were not added to the main memorial because not enough information was known about their deaths when the memorial was made. They are believed to have been killed because of their race between 1952 and 1968.