Memphis, TN, Feb. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Civil Rights Museum will unveil its newly expanded and reimagined Legacy Experience with a grand reopening on Saturday, May 16, 2026, welcoming the public into a transformative exploration of civil rights history from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968 to the present day. The reopening anchors the Museum’s Legacy Year, commemorating its 35th anniversary as a global destination for truth, dialogue, and action.
Housed in the Museum’s Legacy Building, the expanded exhibitions illuminate the movement’s evolution over the past five decades—examining pivotal moments, strategies, and grassroots organizing that followed 1968 and continue to shape struggles for justice today. Through immersive storytelling, newly interpreted historical evidence, and dynamic multimedia, the Legacy Experience challenges visitors to understand how ordinary people become extraordinary change agents.
“This reopening is both a milestone and a mandate,” said Dr. Russ Wigginton, President of the National Civil Rights Museum. “As we mark 35 years, we are not only preserving history, we are activating it. The Legacy Experience invites every visitor to engage with the ongoing work of justice and to see themselves as part of what comes next.”
A Living, Evolving Civil Rights Story
The reimagined Legacy Experience features:
- Assassination & Aftermath — a deeper examination of Dr. King’s assassination, its immediate impact on the nation, and the continuing questions and discoveries surrounding the investigation.
- The Poor People’s Campaign, Then and Now — exploring the campaign’s brief but powerful triumphs in 1968 and its renewed relevance in today’s fight for economic justice.
- Movements: 1968 to Now — a sweeping timeline tracing the evolution of civil and human rights movements across labor, poverty, housing, education, gender equity, nonviolence, environmental justice, economic equity, and others.
- Freedom Award Gallery — celebrating recipients whose leadership and courage exemplify the living legacy of civil and human rights.
- Flexible Classrooms and Changing Galleries — designed for rapid-response exhibitions that address real-time developments in civil rights and democracy.
- Interactive Engagement Spaces — inviting visitors to share perspectives on today’s movements and strategies for positive social change.
Grand Opening: A Community Celebration
The Legacy Community Opening Celebration on Saturday, May 16, includes a morning ribbon-cutting ceremony, live music, storytelling tents, children’s activities, community partner tables, and food trucks. Indoors, visitors will explore the new exhibitions through self-guided tours and facilitated gallery deep dives. Program details to come.
A Legacy Year Moment
The reopening of the Legacy Experience is the centerpiece of the Museum’s Legacy Year, honoring 35 years since the National Civil Rights Museum first opened its doors in 1991 at the historic Lorraine Motel. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Museum continues to serve as a catalyst for education, reflection, and civic engagement, connecting history to the urgent questions of our time.
Event Details
Legacy Community Opening Celebration
- Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Location: Legacy Building and Founders Park, National Civil Rights Museum
- 450 Mulberry Street, Memphis, TN 38103
Media Opportunities
- Press & Media Preview: Friday, May 15, 2026
- Interviews Available: Museum leadership, curators, program facilitators, and special guests
- Visuals/Press Kit (available soon): New exhibition gallery renderings, video, or photos, installations, community celebration programming
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.
Connie Dyson National Civil Rights Museum 901-527-1225 cdyson@civilrightsmuseum.org
