Director George C. Wolfe is bringing Atlanta back into the civil rights movement with the grand opening of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Not only that, but the center will also bring awareness to human rights issues around the world in the present day. Find out more after the jump!
“You’re in the moment,” Mr. Wolfe said while explaining the museum. “You’re in the times. You’re experiencing the euphoria and the danger that was existing at the time.”
The $80 million complex was backed by a mix of public and private funding and the land on which it stands was donated by Coca-Cola.
Doug Shipman, the center’s chief executive, hopes to induce social change beyond just expanding their visitor’s knowledge of civil rights history. “This isn’t about specialists,” Mr. Shipman said. “This isn’t about academics. This is trying to take a 15-year-old and move them to interest and inspiration.”
The center will also emphasize contemporary human rights issues with one gallery including a news ticker and a map illustrating the state of freedom around the world. Backers of the center hope to fulfill a hunger for awareness of the past and present for youths.
“Especially among millennials, there’s a renewed interest in understanding that history, and Atlanta is going to certainly be a beneficiary of that,” said William Pate, the president and chief executive of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The center is planned to open on Monday and will stand along side the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum as Atlanta’s fellow museums which honor the region’s civil rights heritage.
Check out some pictures of what the museum will have to offer in the gallery above!
