The National Center for Civil and Human Rights Launches New King Exhibition and Celebrates Juneteenth

A Legacy of Creative Protest: King & Youth Activism is the first new King exhibit in more than two years. 

(ATLANTA, GA) June 6, 2022—The National Center for Civil and Human Rights (The Center) will celebrate Juneteenth 2022 with a weekend of programming for the entire family Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19. The Center will also launch its first new exhibit of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Voice to the Voiceless Gallery in over two years featuring A Legacy of Creative Protest: King & Youth Activism on Saturday, June 18.  

The exhibit explores how a generation of youth activists in the 1960s inspired Dr. King’s campaign for equality and helped transform political landscapes from the Civil Rights era to present-day through innovative means of protest. Through their innovation, young organizers galvanized the movement, emboldening Dr. King to adopt new and creative ways of protesting to reach a growing national audience. 

Lance Wheeler, Director of Exhibitions at The Center expressed what he hoped Center guests will take away from this exhibit. “Dr. King and his nonviolent resistance became central to the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Yet, he was energized by the resistance of young people across the country, and specifically in Greensboro and of SNCC, to continue the march towards justice. As much as he inspired these young people, he too was stirred by their work and commitment to justice.”  

The Center will also celebrate the Juneteenth holiday with a host of family programs Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19. All activities are included in the price of general admission. Guests are encouraged to purchase their tickets online, in advance. A list of programming is below and on The Center’s website at civilandhumanrights.org/juneteenth/: 

  • Music curated by DJ Sed the Saint to pay homage to the day of Jubilee 
  • Immersive theatre performance of Got So Far to Go—a piece that outlines the successes of emancipation and the Civil Rights movement  
  • Craft tables and activations for young learners, and much more! 

“Juneteenth is a portmanteau of the words “June” and “nineteenth” which marks the date, June 19, 1865—that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned they were free—just under two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln,” said Nicole Moore, Director of Education for The Center. “The Center celebrates this moment of liberation by sharing more about the history of Juneteenth to show it is such an incredibly important holiday, and to spread the jubilee of occasion.”  

For more information about A Legacy of Creative Protest: King & Youth Activism, visit The Center’s website here: civilandhumanrights.org/exhibition/mlk-collection/. To learn more about The Center’s Juneteenth celebration, visit this link civilandhumanrights.org/juneteenth/. 

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About The National Center for Civil and Human Rights 

The Center, founded in 2014, is a museum and human rights educational institution located in Atlanta, GA, the cradle of civil rights. We create dynamic and empathy-building experiences, teach history’s connection to the present, generate brave and difficult conversations about necessary issues, and inspire the change-maker in each of us to promote civil and human rights in our communities and the world. The Center connects the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s to global human rights movements for the rights of people of color, women, immigrants, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, and other marginalized groups. Through our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, the Campaign for Equal Dignity, mission-based Institutes, expansive educational offerings, and immersive and engaging storytelling we inspire each of us to reflect and think critically, exercise empathy in action, and create positive change locally and globally. For more information about The Center, visit our website at civilandhumanrights.org. You can follow us on social here: Facebook @ctr4chr; Twitter @ctr4chr; Instagram @ctr4chr; and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncchr. 

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Shani Drake, Director of Marketing & Public Engagement, at [email protected] 

James Richards, Communications Specialist, at [email protected]