National Center for Civil and Human Rights expands its museum and national impact

Rendering courtesy of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

When the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) opened in 2014, it was a groundbreaking look into how Atlanta—and the South as a whole—shaped the civil rights movement in America. With interactive displays like a recreation of the sit-in at the Woolworth’s , visitors didn’t just learn about history; they experienced it. A decade later, NCCHR is now expanding by 24,000 square feet to offer an enhanced look into the history of civil rights in the American South, adding more event and classroom space to continue to engage with the community. Throughout construction, which started in March, the center remains open, with only a brief closure planned in 2025 before the new space is unveiled.

The expansion has been in the works since 2019. After five years of operation, NCCHR knew they needed to enrich the experience to reach their full potential, according to NCCHR President/Chief Executive Officer Jill Savitt. “In those first five years, we were really operating more as an attraction and museum,” she says. “But to grow into a national cultural organization, we needed to make some changes.” Savitt took over in 2019, though she had been involved with the center since 2010 when she curated an exhibit on global human rights.

Rendering courtesy of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

With the expansion, visitors can expect:

• A family gallery to serve children 12 and younger. This learning playspace enables children to tap into their power to change the world. Activities teach vital concepts like empathy, fairness, inclusion, and equity. A maker space allows children to create art projects devoted to messages of change.
• A gallery focused on the history of the Reconstruction era. “To understand the civil rights movement as the second reconstruction, you need to tell the story of the first reconstruction and how resistance to it was a period of absolute subjugation,” Savitt says. Atlanta’s part in this is a focus, with features on convict leasing, the race massacre of 1906, and segregation. The exhibit emphasizes the history of progress and backlash so that visitors are invited to break the cycle.
• More than 5,000 square feet of event space, including classrooms, training venues, and event and performance space. The center offers DEI training for workplaces and human rights training for police departments.

Rendering courtesy of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

In addition to the new elements, NCCHR is enhancing current exhibitions. The Martin Luther King, Jr. gallery is moving to a more central location. The civil rights gallery now notes the Black Power Movement.

“We’re hoping it’s a more fluid space that isn’t just a museum experience but a place for conversation,” Savitt says. “We can be a leader in this movement of how to talk about our past in ways that help liberate all of us.”

Rendering courtesy of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

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