Center For Civil and Human Rights

We visited the National Center for Civil and Human Rights on Jan 6, 2026 as part of Road Scholar's "The Civil Rights Movement - Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham" program. Tickets were covered by the program.

Once inside, we were greeted by - besides the friendly staff - the great lobby (untitled) mural. To its left is the entrance to the Level 1 main exhibits called "Rolls Down Like Water", which are organized in mostly chronological order. Beginning with the section on racial segregation (before 1950s), we were introduced to overt content of Whites, Colored, Segregationists, Jim Crow Laws, and a peculiar area called Atlanta's Influence. Atlanta's Influence is a collection of photos on window frames and set on brick walls, showing Atlanta's role before the Civil Rights Movement.

We then passed through the Brown V. Board Of Education doorway to the 1950s section. Emmett (and Mamie) Till is there, so is the Life magazine cover showing Dorothy Dandridge, and numerous display boards of key events. They include (among many):

• Montgomery Bus Boycott (starring Rosa Parks)
• Little Rock, Arkansas' "The Integration of Central High"
• Norman Rockwell's "The Problem We All Live With"
• Ruby Bridges
• "The Well Dressed Protester"
• "Women's Political Council"

The Freedom Riders content is displayed on a wall. Towards the end of the gallery section is the lunch counter. Our tour guide invited us to sit in at the counter, with with both hands on table, and endure the vicious tirade of insults and slurs, complete with sounds of glass smashing. Shocking at first - I was genuinely scared - it ended almost as soon as it began. "Was that it?" I asked the staff member behind the counter. She nodded. I expected it to be longer.

(Footage of the "Rolls Down Like Water" exhibits is in the video "Day 3: National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Part 1" on my YouTube channel, located in playlist "2026-1: The Civil Rights Movement - Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham". The videos referenced below are also in this playlist.)

The next section is dedicated to the March in Washington on Mar 28, 1963. On one wall is a set of written and imaged content; on the other wall is a large screen showing clips of the event (video footage in "Day 3: National Center for Civil and Human Rights - March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom"). A doorway on the opposite side leads to a section on events that happened after the March. "Black Power Confronts White Rage", violent events of "Four Little Girls", "Three Mississippi Murders", "Bloody Sunday", Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), "Juke Box", and "Black Power: Demanding Action". (Video footage in "Day 3: National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Part 2".)

The final section is dedicated to Atlanta's native son Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., particularly on his assassination and funeral. This section includes the wall of 40 other martyrs of the civil rights movement, and Dr. King's continuing influence on others in pursuit of social justice. The other exhibit on Level 1 is a smaller room called "A Committed Life", which houses Dr. King's papers and other print material. Since (flash and non-flash) photography is not allowed, I did not spend much time here.

On to Level 2. With barely 30 minutes left, I started with the art gallery of paintings and sculptures relating to the Civil Rights Movement. A number of them are about MLK, including a model of his funeral wagon. The next gallery, called "Broken Promises", travels back in time to the Reconstruction (after the American Civil War). The contents show "Black Prosperity And Education" in spite of "Broken Promises", and two visual timeline of progression (and regression) of the black experience. (Video footage in "Day 3: National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Part 3".)

With my time almost up, I headed down to meet with our group. If I had more time, I would see as "Everyone. Everywhere." exhibit on Level 2. I'd also spend more time in "Rolls Down Like Water", explore the numerous interactive features, and then climb the stairs outside the building and see the sculpture on the north side. But that will be for another time. I enjoyed what I did see at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Not only will I return here, I'll also visit the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and the Olympic Centennial Park. All three venues are within a stone's throw from the National Center.