National Civil Rights Museum Reopens The Legacy Experience on May 16 with New Stories of Resistance, Justice, and Civic Action

Community celebration features reduced admission, live performances, family activities, and the unveiling of reimagined exhibitions connecting the modern movement to today’s fight for justice

Memphis, TN, May 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Civil Rights Museum will reopen its fully reimagined Legacy Experience on Saturday, May 16, with a daylong community celebration featuring reduced admission, live performances, interactive family programming, civic engagement activities, and the unveiling of new permanent exhibitions that connect the history of the Civil Rights Movement to the urgent social justice issues of today.

Held throughout the museum’s Legacy Building and Founders Park campus, the reopening marks a major milestone in the museum’s 35th anniversary year and invites visitors to experience a transformed exhibition space designed not simply to revisit history, but to challenge guests to consider their own role in shaping the future.

Opening to the public with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m., the Legacy Experience explores America’s ongoing struggle for civil and human rights through five central pillars — poverty, education, housing, gender equity, and nonviolence — from 1968 to today. With the Lorraine exhibitions opening at 9:00 a.m., the full, two-building museum experience traces the nation’s unfinished promises from enslavement and Reconstruction to present-day movements for justice and civic participation.

“The Legacy Experience was created to help visitors understand that the movement did not end in 1968,” said Museum President Russell Wigginton. “These exhibitions connect the struggles of the past to the realities people are facing today, from economic inequality and voting access to criminal justice reform and community activism. We want every guest to leave understanding they are part of this ongoing story,” he said.

Among the newly expanded experiences are galleries focused on the Poor People’s Campaign, contemporary organizing movements, Say Their Names, and criminal justice reform. The exhibitions also feature more evidence connected to the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., helping visitors examine how history, government accountability, and public memory intersect.

The museum’s new storytelling approach intentionally centers ordinary people whose actions created extraordinary change. One of the individuals featured within the exhibitions is museum staff member and criminal justice reform advocate Veda Ajamu, whose personal story reflects the museum’s commitment to connecting historical movements to present-day advocacy.

The reopening celebration will extend beyond the galleries into a vibrant campus-wide festival atmosphere designed for visitors of all ages. The day begins with an outdoor ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring museum leadership, elected officials, special guests featured in the exhibitions, and community performances before transitioning into full public access to the new exhibitions.

Throughout the day, guests can enjoy live musical performances, family-friendly activities, “craftivism” art stations, lawn games, food trucks, community gathering spaces, and a civic engagement hub connecting visitors with local and national organizations focused on advocacy and organizing.

Inside the Legacy Building, visitors will experience scholar-led exhibition deep dives, self-guided tours, live radio broadcasts, and facilitated storytelling sessions as part of the museum’s “Our Stories, Our Museum” initiative.

To encourage broad community participation, the museum will offer special reopening admission pricing of $15 for all visitors on May 16, a reduction from regular admission rates as part of the museum’s effort to make the experience accessible to families, students, and community groups across the Mid-South.

“The reopening celebration is designed to feel alive, participatory, and welcoming,” Wigginton said. “We want families, young people, longtime supporters, and first-time visitors to see themselves reflected in these stories and to recognize the power communities have when people organize together.”

The Legacy Experience Grand Reopening celebration will take place Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the National Civil Rights Museum, located at the historic Lorraine Motel, 450 Mulberry Street in Memphis.

Tickets are available now at visit.civilrightsmuseum.org. For more information about the reopening event, visit civilrightsmuseum.org.

About the National Civil Rights Museum
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. Since the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the world have come annually. The Museum is steadfast in its mission to honor and preserve the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. It chronicles the American civil rights movement and the ongoing struggle for human rights, serving as a catalyst to inspire action and create positive social change. A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is recognized as a National Medal Award recipient by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS), the top national honor for museums and libraries.

– civilrightsmuseum.org –

Attachments

Connie Dyson
National Civil Rights Museum
901-527-1225
cdyson@civilrightsmuseum.org

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