The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. She thought King would have objected to having $27 million spent on a building for him and to evicting motel residents, instead of on investing in policies and programs that would help communities of color and poor communities. [13] Since her vigil began, Smith has spoken to thousands of visitors, attempting to spread Dr. Kings message and explain her thoughts about the museum. Bailey worked with Chuck Scruggs, program director of WDIA, and attorney D'Army Bailey, to raise funds to "Save the Lorraine."

The museum is built around the former Lorraine Motel, which was the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. 12 Ways to Experience Memphis Safely During COVID-19. Plan at least two hour for the self-guided museum experience. The exhibits were updated for historical accuracy and to add to their evocative power; the work was guided by a group of recognized civil rights scholars. (CNN)As Denny Hamlin races around the Talladega Superspeedway in Monday's race, the hood of his car will display the logo of the National Civil Rights Museum -- a move by Hamlin and his sponsor FedEx to support the ongoing fight for racial equality. Denny Hamlin's car, painted with the logo of the National Civil Rights Museum, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on June 21. In 2007, the state agreed to a 20-year lease, while taking over major maintenance of the complex. The donation was made "in support of the museum's mission,". We recommend booking National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel tours ahead of time to secure your spot. [14] Smith has continued her protest vigil for over 30 years. Denny Hamlin's car, painted with the logo of the National Civil Rights Museum, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on June 21.

They worked with the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Vehicles on display include an International Harvester garbage truck in an exhibit on the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike that brought King to Memphis, James Earl Ray's Ford Mustang, a 1968 Cadillac and 1959 Dodge parked outside the motel, a re-creation of the burned shell of a Greyhound bus used by Freedom Riders, and a bus representative of the Montgomery bus boycott. Robertson noted that many board members were African Americans who had been activists and also entered corporate life. We recommend booking National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel tours ahead of time to secure your spot. Two other buildings and their adjacent property, also connected with the King assassination, have been acquired as part of the … [3], The main museum closed in November 2012 for a $27.5 million renovation, to include changes to exhibits and upgrades to building systems. Beverly Robertson, then director of the museum, defended the board and the museum's operation. The main museum is located on the south edge of downtown Memphis in what is now called the South Main Arts District. Plan your visit today. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. It has in the last several years been turned into the National Civil Right Museum. [11], Smith’s belongings were piled across the street where she covered them with a tarp and set up camp and continued to live as she daily maintains her protest vigil to this day. The museum is closed every Tuesday. The motel is owned by the State of Tennessee and operated by the Foundation under a 20-year lease with the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. The museum is owned and operated by the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation, based in Memphis. It's the Power of Place, where history happened and is happening! foot exhibit in the former Y & M building, which opened September 28, 2002. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights connects the American Civil Rights Movement to today’s Global Human Rights Movements. It is about six blocks east of the Mississippi River. [3], The museum was dedicated on July 4, 1991, and officially opened to the public on September 28, 1991. Please leave and secure any unnecessary articles in your vehicle to expedite your entry. These issues came to a head in December 2007, as the museum foundation was asking the state, which owned the property, to extend its lease for 50 years rent-free. By the end of World War II, however, the motel became minority owned. The museum reopened in 2014 after renovations that increased the number of multi-media and interactive exhibits, including numerous short movies to enhance features. [4] Walter Bailey, Lorraine Motel owner, died in July 1988, before getting to see the results of his efforts to establish the museum.

Among its guests through the 1960s were musicians going to Stax Records, including Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin, Ethel Waters, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers and Wilson Pickett. Sharp objects more than 2.5 inches long, weapons and illegal contraband will not be permitted in the museum. The Foundation bought the motel for $144,000, following foreclosure in December 1982. She believes that by focusing too heavily on the violence of Dr. King's death instead of the work he did while alive, the museum is projecting precisely the opposite message Dr. King was attempting to spread. This was where James Earl Ray initially confessed (and later recanted) to shooting King. [10] Smith argues that Dr. King would have likely preferred efforts to support struggling communities in Memphis, rather than projects that further uproot and alienate them. The National Civil Rights Museum, located in Memphis, TN, explores the history of the Civil Rights Movement and its impact on our culture today. The museum is built around the former Lorraine Motel, which was the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968; King died at St. Joseph's Hospital. [8] The reconstruction of the neighborhood was related to other urban redevelopment projects in the downtown area. The museum has several interactive kiosks where patrons can access audio, images, text and video about the full civil rights movement. [citation needed] Many of the museum's most popular exhibits did not change, such as Room 306 (where Dr. King was staying when he died), the replica sanitation truck (Dr. King came to Memphis to support an AFSCME sanitation workers' strike), and the replica of the bus Rosa Parks rode in Montgomery, Alabama, before initiating the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56.

Generations have taken a moment to reflect in the museum's courtyard with the Lorraine Motel marque sign on one side and the balcony where Dr. King was shot on the other. The museum exhibits a number of vehicles of historic value or which are otherwise relevant to the time period. "@FedEx has chosen to remove all of their branding and traditional colors, with this week's theme being to listen and learn as they spotlight the @NCRMuseum,". The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. The official destination marketing organization for, All Rights Reserved - 2020 Memphis Tourism. [citation needed] In 1945, Walter Bailey purchased it and renamed it for his wife Loree and the song "Sweet Lorraine". The Lorraine finally closed as an SRO motel on March 2, 1988. Bailey and other community activists criticized the board as "too white" and claimed they were shutting out the community.

Renegotiation of lease with state in 2007, Last edited on 27 September 2020, at 16:56, The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306, International Civil Rights Center and Museum, "Mission of National Civil Rights Museum Questioned", "Eviction Empties Motel Where Dr. King Died", "Walter Bailey, Lorraine Motel Owner, 73", "National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis Reopening", "We Are Prepared to Die: The Freedom Rides 1961", "A One-Woman Protest at the Lorraine Motel", "Side Trip – Jacqueline Smith's personal, and private, crusade", "SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research", "The woman still protesting over Martin Luther King", "This Dreamer Cometh: The National Civil Rights Museum", National Civil Rights Museum – Information, TN History for Kids article about the museum, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Civil_Rights_Museum&oldid=980640882, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 September 2020, at 16:56.