by On top of the recent Civil Rights stops in Alabama and Mississippi, there was a little sense of dread about visiting another museum devoted to the dark side of America’s history so soon.
However, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is at the site where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, and there was no way we were skipping it.
The museum traces the Civil Rights movement in the United States from slavery to the present. It is literally built around the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was shot while standing on a balcony. You can see the exterior as you approach the museum, but see inside Dr. King’s room as part of the museum experience.
The museum opened in 1991, but closed for a major renovation from 2012 to 2014. It has acquired two other buildings connected with the assassination, but those are not yet open.
The visit takes a few hours, and is powerful and emotional. The exhibits do a good job of trying to bring history to life, with artifacts like a sanitation truck (the Memphis sanitation strike which King was in town for) and a partial recreation of the Selma bridge to walk across.
Doug has already read a biography of King, and I’m now about 1/3 of the way through Jonathon Eig’s King: A Life (affiliate link), which is so far very done. It’s easy to read in terms of how its written, but of course there’s a sense of dread throughout, as you know how it’s going to end.
