Center For Civil and Human Rights

Each room was an emotional whirlwind. Starting in the first room where they introduce the ugliness of our segregated past and the entrenched hatred felt by many who opposed the civil rights movement. There is no way I can come close to fathoming the pain by those at the time, but I felt a very personal glimpse of it in the Civil Rights Historic site. A must see.

First half of the museum was domestic which isn’t my jam. Second half however, was international and I was absolutely enthralled. The top floor of the museum was a fabulous educational array of different human rights violations, violators and activists. The care put into the documentaries, displays and exhibits was exceptional. A great place to learn and expand your horizons. Discount with your student ID. Worth a visit.

I’ve been wanting to come here since it opened, and I can’t believe it took me so long. I was really impressed by this museum.
They do a really good job of presenting civil and human rights issues in different contexts: current vs historical, domestic vs international, local vs elsewhere. There are 3 main sections of the museum: the American civil rights movement exhibit, international human rights exhibit, and a small MLK gallery. There are also event spaces too, but you might not see those if you’re just visiting the museum on a normal day.
The building is modern, open, clean, and very accessible. They have really nice interactive exhibits and they do a great job of using technology, with touch screens, RFID readers, and motion sensors. It feels very cutting edge.
What’s extra special about this place is that they use their space for community forums and local activism. This isn’t the museum where civil rights went to die; this is a local organization that is harnessing Atlanta’s history to advocate for social change. Something really special is happening here, folks.
If you’re downtown. I recommend Marta or Über to get downtown since parking can be a bit hairy (I parked in the aquarium lot).
DEFINITELY give this place a visit. It’s great for out of town visitors, but also a really good way to learn about ATL’s powerful history.

The Center for Civil and Human Rights is located in Pemberton Place, along with the Georgia Aquarium and The World of Coca Cola. I have gone twice with my parents. The first time, the Center was not completed. They were still prepping the lower level exhibit. So when my parents came to visit again, they wanted to go back. The building itself is quite nice and I love the glass display on the Ivan Allen side — I hope someone added a picture of it. I have never experienced a line. Probably because I was going during the week. Wonderful exhibits so you can learn about different aspects of civil rights including both domestic and international. Tissues are available as some exhibits may be particularly moving for visitors. I shed some tears myself. A great place for adults and kids. We need to make sure these atrocities don’t happen again.

Moved us to tears. Especially the lunch counter.
the history depiction of this time was phenomenal.
Another must for anyone visiting atl. Museums.

What a wonderful experience! It was engaging and interactive. The simulation of a sit-​in was both moving and chilling. The various collections of photography, videography and art depict the cries for equality, social change and individuality. You cannot help but feel empowered and inspired after your visit.

The highlight of our recent Atlanta visit.
There’s clearly a lot of heart and soul in this museum. They don’t treat civil and human rights as a historical issue, but rather as a contemporary one. The exhibit on 60s era civil rights is a natural, and probably a bigger draw, but we were especially moved by the exhibit on the global human rights movement.
Be sure to have a couple hours for your visit.

Excellent museum! One of the best and most inspirational museums ever. Highly recommend if you live or visit Atlanta!

The center uses light and sound to really get to you. I went for the first time by myself in an empty exhibit because it was for a private event. It was so stimulating that I really had to take a moment and excuse myself, especially after the portion about MLK’s death. I loved this and found it very compelling.
However, the civil rights portion had no mention of Muslim and the Nation of Islam… Anywhere. Only a single violent quote by Malcolm X. Everything was portrayed as though the struggle is completely in the past, as though civil rights aren’t being violated today.
The human rights portion had no mention of any American terrorists it transgressors. Bare to no mention of Malala Yousufzai. Nothing about Palestinians. And the free, not free, and kinda free map?! Ridiculous.
If you go, be wary. I took my students there to lend a critical eye to the center… And they figured out just why the exhibits are the way they are :)

This place! My usual stops around Centennial are the Aquarium or Coke factory. I’m so glad I decided to check this museum out and break my normal habits.
Entry is reasonable and you can get a student discount if you have a school ID. When you walk in a beautiful mural that greets you that embodies what this center is all about.
There is quite a lot of reading involved, so I would allow yourself 2+ hours to go through the whole museum.
The bar simulation in first section is a MUST! Don’t skip it just because of the line. It’s worth it — I left speechless.
The layout can be confusing, so definitely talk to a host when you arrive. You start on the floor you enter (2^nd floor), then you go upstairs to the 3^rd floor. The exhibit ends on the 3^rd floor, but don’t forget to go to the 1^st floor!
The MLK Jr library is downstairs on the 1^st floor and IMO it’s the best part! It’s a rotating exhibit, so it changes periodically. Right now they have his original Nobel Peace Prize speeches on display.
I’ve never said this after leaving a museum, but I honestly can’t wait to go back and read every single plaque in the exhibit.
Although the Coke factory and Aquarium are fun, the Center for Civil and Human Rights highlights the lives of those who fought so hard for equality. It allowed me to really appreciate this city and how much history is all around us. You’ll leave humbled, appreciative and inspired. SO GO NOW! RIGHT NOW!

As a native Georgian, I’ve learned so much about how Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams, John Lewis, Ralph David Abernathy, Andrew Young, and an a plethora of others set Atlanta at the forefront of the civil rights movement and having a chance to visit The Center helped me gain a better understanding of how people all over the U.S. and world came together for justice.
I visited as a part of a field trip for the International Day of Girl and was so pleased and moved by this experience.
Spoiler alert… the following info is what I saw so if you wanna be surprised… don’t read anything else… just get up and go to the museum! If you don’t mind knowing what you’re in for… keep reading:-)
Being able to see those who were for and against equal rights amongst blacks and whites, getting a chance to hear actual stories of Freedom Riders, seeing the stain glass of he four little girls… and even having a chance to act as a student during a sit-​in (which was super emotional and brought tears to my eyes)…so powerful… so moving.
I didn’t feel rushed. There were curators bothering you. You really got to take all the time you wanted to explore and learn about leaders in civil rights, past and present. I’m definitely going back again. A definite must do… just be ready to have your spirit move and ready to think of how you can make a change in his world.

As a visitor or a resident, this center is a must-​do experience.
What triumphs +‘s:
+ Be ready to immerse yourself in a part of history that was not too long ago. One visitor pointed out her brother in one of the black and white photographs.
+ Great story telling that can be gleaned at your own pace by reading panels, watching newsclips, hearing voices from key figures and best of all – doing a sit-​in at the lunch counter and taking a seat on the bus for the Freedom Ride.
+ Start on the second floor ideally where you see the bed of unrest begins.
+ Ascend to the third floor where you find the present day struggle continues. Self-​awareness grew tenfold without a preaching vibe.
+ First floor is a nice ending where notes of MLK’s speeches are memorialized.
+ For adult admission of $ 15, the experience is priceless.
What defeats -‘s:
— Not going is a huge miss. Set aside some time and perhaps eat before arriving since food and drink is not really an option here.
TIP: Hit the lunch counter and close your eyes. Do not miss this reservation. In general do not miss this center for a glimpse into the not so distant past and what still remains in the present.

I have made many qualms about the lack of excellence I see when visiting the King Center, because for a man who lived such an excellent life and has such powerful importance to history, it seems his memory is not as well presented as it should be. However, all of that is forgotten here. I honestly didn’t think I was going to enjoy my visit. I assumed it would be like so many other Civil Rights exhibits showing a few photographs in some halfhearted attempt to bring consciousness to the masses in a dingy old space where they could pay the cheapest rent. But this is not that. This is a gallery style exhibition that allows you to feel, to breath and to experience the difficulties of times both past and present when man has been at his worst.
This is not only an archive of the putrid history of our nation against black Americans and the ungodly acts of violence that have occurred in the name of skin color, it also brings light to the human condition around the world. Be warned that if you are afflicted by the modern day disease of LOTAP (lack of time and patience), this is not the place for you. The Center for Civil & Human Rights is for those who want to soak in the moments of time captured here hoping that by revisiting our past we can improve our future.
I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place such as this where each and every display compels you to give it your complete attention and it simply CAN NOT BE RUSHED. There are stories here that you are familiar with, and many that you are not. It is one thing to have heard about the past and quite another when the faces of history are looking back at you, almost piercing your soul as they leap out of their place on the walls to tell their story. There are videos to be seen, songs to be heard, personal testimonies that will move you and graphic images of those who used their power abusively as well as those who fought those powers bravely.
[ FINAL THOUGHTS ]
The Center marries events of the past with current struggles around the world brilliantly and forces you to see that you can make a difference in this world by removing your hatred for those which you deem less than yourself. It highlights each aspect of hatred towards others hopefully getting each of us to admit to ourselves we have shared similar feelings in our own thinking. Maybe, just maybe by seeing the effects of hatred around the world it might allow you to let go of yours. After all, sometimes the person we hate the most is ourselves.
NOTE: Please do not miss the lunch counter sit-​in experience. My only wish is that the center had more exhibits like this one, but hopefully other interactive displays are in the works.

The Center for Civil and Human Rights, along with Ga Aquarium and World of Coca-​Cola ran an open house for educators this past weekend and allowed free entrance to all registered educators (with employee ID) plus one guest. It was our last stop and probably the best visit we made. We’ve been to the aquarium and WOCC numerous times so it was nice to see the educational behind the scene aspect of things, but with the Center for Civil and Human Rights being new, is a powerful and truly educational visit that everyone should make at least once.
According to their website it is an «engaging cultural attraction that connects the American Civil Rights Movement to today’s Global Human Rights Movement», and it truly does. I’ve rarely been to a «cultural attraction», but as you walk through from room to room, you begin to feel something deep within you, and that in itself is reason enough to know that you’re experiencing something real and mind-​altering.
We spent the most amount of time here because all four of us were intrigued and curious about everything we were reading and learned things that we probably would have never ran across in our every day lives. As a natural lover of history, I of course fell in love with this place, but I truly would recommend this place to anyone, history nerd or not. :)

Having toured Greensboro’s International Civil Rights Center and Museum, I was already familiar with a lot of the Civil Rights Movement’s history. However, Atlanta’s relatively new (opened 2014) addition still managed to surprise.
For starters, this museum is not for the meek. As expected, it documents the deaths of the victims of white supremacist violence quite well. It also gives those willing a chance to step in the shoes of a sit-​in protestor and have pre-​recorded verbal abuse heaped on you for a few minutes. That, plus some effects taken from Martin Luther King’s funeral, makes for a very affecting experience.
The upper floor of the museum moves beyond the Civil Rights era and looks at human rights progress and abuses across the globe. One wall depicts oppressive dictators, another activists striving to make a difference, and another still shows the status of human rights in every country.
For as comprehensive as all this seems, however, there are several glaring omissions. For instance, the museum does not really address the Holocaust or even Leo Frank, a Jewish Atlanta man whose lynching helped reinvigorate the KKK.
Despite its somewhat narrow focus, the Center for Civil and Human Rights is a powerful representation of some of the darker chapters of recent history as well as those who fought for positive change.

After much thought, I decided to leave my 300^th review for Atlanta’s very own Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum. I believe this is such a very important place and that everyone should visit, no matter if you are young or old, you will learn a lot as long as you keep an open mind. Throughout the museum visitors will learn about those who stood up for civil rights and those who were the oppressors. Down stairs in the museum is a beautiful exhibit that features many written documents by the great Martin Luther King Jr, here visitors can read written copies of documents by MLK such as speeches and letters written to other leaders. The museum has a nice collect of art of civil rights leaders on the top floor.
I do not want to spoil the experience, so I will keep my review limited. Just come visit the Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum and be sure to keep an open mind. You should leave feeling touched and hopefully a better person wanting to do better for mankind.
[Review #300] (Sixty Review of 2015)

I’m really glad I visited this museum. It opens your eyes and shows all issues and injustices that occurred in the past. The south was really rough.
We attended as part of our CityPass ATL tour. Entrance is around $ 15.
If you are history lover, then this place is a must visit. Even for those not so interested in history I highly recommend stopping by. I did not grow up in USA and visiting as insightful and valuable. The offenders/​defenders gallery in the second floor shouldn’t be missed.

If you are interested in history, human rights, or social justice, this is a must do for you! The museum has been open less than a year and you dont hear a lot about it, but its one of the best things to see in Atlanta. It is located right downtown next to the Aquarium and the World of Coke, so its probably right where you will find yourself anyway sometime during your visit.
If you come on Marta, get off at Civic Center, and walk straight west 4 blocks on Ivan Allen Blvd. If you have a car and dont mind trying free street parking you can park on Mills st around the corner for free. I park there and never had a problem but that decision is up to you. I have an older car and dont leave much inside anyone would want.
If you have a Bank Of America card, debit, check, credit card, in YOUR name, on the first full weekend of the month you can get in free. Dont bring someone elses card as they match ID. Otherwise you can get the current entry prices on their website. It would be nice if entry prices were lower as theres an important story to be told here, but Im sure it cost plenty to construct this building. Its certainly an interesting style.
There is a security check to go through when you enter. Then you will see a large mural and enter the first floor which along with the second floor is devoted to the civil rights struggle in the United States for African Americans. This is a large part of the museum, but this is the south, and this is our story! For many of us old enough to remember we can relive these moments in time that Im sure nobody has forgotten. Many young people though were not here in those years, but you find them there with their parents, or grandparents with them sharing their stories.
The exhibits will tug at your emotions. It’s all laid out. You can watch on old televisions the rants and screaming segregationists. You can see the signs of the times. Dont be in a hurry! Take times to listen to these exhibits. Theres plenty of buttons to press. Buttons to change a speaker, to change a city, or often to tell a story.
There is a large bus of freedom riders. If you dont know who they were they were those interested in volunteering to ride public transport throughout the south to document happenings and making sure that the new laws were being applied. Needless to say, they were not viewed favorably with old line segregationists. They were putting their lives in danger doing this, and not all survived. There are loads of buttons to hear their stories. Listen!
Then there is a lunch counter. DONT PASS THIS BY. Sit at the counter. There is an attendant. I wont go into details but DO IT.
There is coverage of the horrible shooting of Dr Martin Luther King. You can relive the time that I can remember well with Walter Cronkite and Atty Gen Robert Kennedy making the announcement. Then see video of all the anger that followed.
On the third floor is a room of martyrs. Take the time to look at the faces and then flip the board to read their story. Do not rush.
The third floor is probably the largest floor. After leaving the Martyrs room there is a worldwide area with electronic speakers behind glass from around the world telling their stories. Maps and charts of current dictators and charts of current issues. So many peoples, so many issues, so many struggles.
I urge people to go!

This museum was on my must do list on my recent trip to Atlanta. After paying admission and passing security check we were met by a group of some of the original «freedom riders» who were at the museum that day sharing stories of their experiences.
The museum is on three levels. No flash photography permitted nor is any photography allowed in the MLK gallery called «Voice to the voiceless»
It should also be noted that this museum portrays very graphic images. They have a sign attesting to that matter. Please use discretion when bringing children.
We began our visit in the gallery called «Rolls down like water». Entering the exhibit through a cavern of «white people» on one side and «colored people» on the other took us into a world of what was segregation like. Jim Crow laws are outlined. Early beginnings of civil rights are shown through Rosa Parks, the freedom riders, and Selma. One of the highlights of this area is a replica of the famous Woolworth sit in lunch counter (the original is in the Smithsonian). Here you can sit, place your hands over the hand-​prints and put on headphones. Close your eyes and you are transported as a customer suffering the vicious atrocities of being a minority.
It continues with the emergence of Martin Luther King, the famous march on Washington and his influence on the Civil Rights movement. This section ends with his assassination and funeral.
The second gallery is called «the spark of conviction which dealt with universal civil rights. You start along a hallway of mirrors where you can choose a minority or ethnic person and then that person appears and tells their story of their brutality. The next area comprises the gallery of martyrs. This consists of various people images on poles. When you turn their image around you can read the story of their life.
Entering into «Global movement» one sees both the heroes and villains of the past and present time with worldwide prejudices. Here one learns «who causes it and why.» Videos are shown within domed hanging round canopies. It ends with the a map of the world showing free countries and countries subject to dictatorship.
The final gallery «Voice to the voiceless» consists of a collection of handwritten and typewritten letters by Martin Luther King. These letters are directed to various leaders including the President taking his stand against the mistreatment of Afro Americans throughout the rise of the civil rights movement.
They have a gift shop and drinks for purchase. Since we were under time constraints we could not take it all in depth but were very moved by the brutality that has become part of our nation and the world. Located in Pemberton Place near the World of Coca Cola and the Georgia Aquarium the museum was the highlight of my trip. Outside on the lower level are glass monolith signs pointing to freedom. I will most certainly return here on a future visit.

I have visited CCHR twice in the past three months — and I became a member when it became clear to me that I would return regularly. The first visit was a speed visit with foreign guests. Then on the Friday after Thanksgiving I went again with my son who was in town. That gave me time to read more of the explanations while he interacted with the exhibits.
I have been to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. CCHR is a better experience, i think because of the designers who pulled this together, and because technological advances in how documents, videos, and artifacts are displayed. And the building is beautiful.
This museum is moving. Don’t miss it.
Now the «but.»
I appreciate the attempt on the top floor to draw the link between the civil rights struggle in the U.S. and a variety of efforts around the world to fight all kinds of ills. Civil rights. Political rights. Women’s rights. LGBT rights. Trafficking in persons. Child labor. It’s both too broad and too little. How did the museum choose these struggles? Why did they omit others? Why is Pinochet lumped in the same category with Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Idi Amin? In comparison to them, he was minor league violator of human rights. Even Idi Amin (300,000 murdered) doesn’t compare to Hitler, Stalin and Mao. The map at the end of the room with the Freedom House rankings needs to be updated with the latest Freedom House data.