National Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum is a group of museums and historic buildings in Memphis, Tennessee. It tells the story of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century up to today. The museum is centered around the old Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in 1968.

After updates, the museum reopened in 2014 with more multimedia and interactive displays, including short films. It is owned and run by the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation in Memphis. The Lorraine Motel itself is owned by the Tennessee State Museum but is leased to the Foundation for the museum. In 2016, the museum became an affiliate museum of the Smithsonian Institution. It is also part of the South Main Street Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location and complex

Museum exhibit

The National Civil Rights Museum is located at 450 Mulberry Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Most of the buildings belong to the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation, while the famous Lorraine Motel is owned by the state and run by the foundation.

The main museum sits near downtown Memphis, in an area called the South Main Arts District. It includes the old Lorraine Motel and several important nearby buildings. Visitors can see many special vehicles there, like a garbage truck from the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike, James Earl Ray’s white Ford Mustang, and buses important to the civil rights movement.

History

The site where the National Civil Rights Museum stands first opened as the Windsor Hotel in 1924. It was later renamed the Lorraine Motel in 1945. During the time of segregation, the motel welcomed Black guests when many other hotels did not.

The Lorraine Motel is part of the complex of the National Civil Rights Museum. The wreath marks King's approximate place at the time of his assassination.

The motel became famous because Martin Luther King Jr. stayed there in 1968. He was in Memphis to support workers who were fighting for fair treatment. Sadly, he was killed while standing on the balcony of his room. His death became a major moment in the fight for civil rights.

After King’s death, there were calls to turn the motel into a memorial. It took many years, but in 1991, the National Civil Rights Museum opened its doors to the public. Today, it includes the original motel rooms and other buildings, showing the history of the civil rights movement in the United States. The museum helps people learn about the past and understand how far the country has come toward equality.

Main article: Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.