Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana State Museum are proud to announce the opening of the Louisiana Civil Rights Museum on Sunday, October 8, 2023. More than 30 years in the making, the museum will honor Louisiana’s unique place in the national Civil Rights movement as well as its heroes, demonstrating their impact and significance today.
“Much of what happened during the Civil Rights movement started right here in Louisiana,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “The Louisiana Civil Rights Museum is part of our continued effort to educate visitors about the real-life activists who strategized, organized, preached, marched, stood up, sat down, and sang for change, all in one place. The museum serves as a way to learn about the past.”
The Louisiana Civil Rights Museum is part of the ongoing Civil Rights Trail efforts led by the Lieutenant Governor. Inspired to create the trail after seeing a presentation about a similar project at a tourism conference in Arizona, Lt. Governor Nungesser said “It was concerning to find out that while many states had their own trails, monuments, and memorials dedicated to the movement, Louisiana did not.”
Since spring 2021, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, under the direction of the Lieutenant Governor, has unveiled 13 markers around the state on the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail, with more planned. And after 30 years, Louisiana will finally open its very own Civil Rights Museum this fall.
The design concept for the museum was inspired by the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail throughout the state.
“The Louisiana Civil Rights Museum must be Louisiana’s premier center for civil rights and social justice – a living, cultural institution with a mission to use the Louisiana experience to educate, heal, celebrate and engage for social justice,” said Civil Rights Museum Advisory Board President Brenda Brent Williams.
In addition to the Louisiana Civil Rights Museum and Trail, an educational program is being produced that can be downloaded in schools, in churches, and at home to tell the incredible stories of heroes and activists.
The Louisiana Civil Rights Museum will officially open with a ribbon cutting and private event on Saturday, October 7, at 10 a.m. inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center located at 900 Convention Center Blvd. in New Orleans. On Sunday, October 8, the museum will open to the public. Admission to the museum is free during the first week. Visitors can explore the museum free of charge on Sunday, October 8, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday – Sunday, October 9-15, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Lieutenant Governor Nungesser and the Louisiana State Museum would like to thank the partners behind the Louisiana Civil Rights Museum, including the Civil Rights Museum Advisory Board, Solomon Group, and most especially, Louisiana’s Civil Rights heroes and their families who were true, steadfast leaders during a tumultuous time in our country.
For more information on the Louisiana Civil Rights Museum, visit LouisianaCivilRightsMuseum.org.
