The International Civil Rights Center and Museum is a teaching facility, collecting museum, and archival center with a focus on the international struggle for human and civil rights.
Located in the center of downtown Greensboro, the museum showcases the nonviolent protests during the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960 that acted as a catalyst for the civil rights movement.
Guided tours of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum are offered every day, however, visitors can also explore the museum's exhibitions before or after the tour on their own. Part of the guided tour explores the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States through The Battleground, a permanent exhibition at the museum. This engaging exhibit is introduced by a fascinating audio and video narrative and features several interactive components, video re-enactments, artifacts, and pictorials that illustrate a journey through time.
The mural A Celebration of Progress illustrates Greensboro's evolution from the time of segregation to a time period when a sense of access is no longer based on the color of someone's skin. Thought of and directed by Darlene J. Glenn-McClinton, this mural was painted by youth participating in the African American Atelier's Murals, Minds, & Communities. Visitors can also view a tribute to an amazing array of gifted athletes and celebrated artists who were able to break across racially restrictive barriers with perseverance and determination in And Still I Rise! whilein The Art of Activism: Civil Rights History on US Stamps, the milestones in the history of the Civil Rights Movement are rediscovered through the work of well-known African-American visual artists such as Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. The themes presented on the United States postage stamps vary from the integration of the military after World War II to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Dr. Martin Luther King and the March on Washington are also relived at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. The exhibition follows the 250,000 people who gathered in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, to rally for necessary social changes: De-segregated schools, the right to vote, fair housing, access to public accommodations without regard to race, and equal employment opportunities. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was the largest demonstration at that time to take place on the National Mall, and it attracted people of various religions, races, and ages. It is where Dr. King gave his I Have a Dream speech that transformed the nation. This exhibit was organized by the staff of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.
The International Civil Rights Center and Museum features the original stools and lunch counter where the Greensboro Four (David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, and Ezell Blair) started their protest on February 1, 1960. There are also several other educational exhibits at the museum, including the 14 signature exhibitions in the Battlegrounds area that display the struggle for civil and human rights. An archival center, a state-of-the art auditorium, a children's activity and education center, and a gallery for traveling exhibits can also be found within the museum.
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134 South Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina 27401, Phone: 336-274-9199, website, Map
