Center for civil and human rights

We visited the Center for Civil and Human Rights when we were in Atlanta last weekend. It was another of those really interesting places that left us feeling inspired, ashamed, and somber all at the same time.

Perhaps the biggest eye-opener of all (or re-opener) was the dark realization that the whole MAGA (make america great again) phenomenon is about UNDOING the progress that's been made in civil and human rights over the years. I'm guessing this is not a popular place with Trump supporters. Anyway...

One of the more powerful exhibits was this interactive station where you sat at a lunch counter with headphones on. It gave you a chance to hear AND FEEL what it was like to have been an African-American during the early days of the civil rights movement with people yelling and screaming at you and kicking the counter and your seat. It was pretty intense. I cannot imagine having had to go through that.

I was actually quite surprised with this display citing Atlanta's place in civil rights. I think this is pretty cool. If you can't read it, it says:

Atlanta differed from other Southern cities in important ways. Since the early 20th century, the "Atlanta style" of managing race relations had white and black leaders meeting behind the scenes to decide what was in the best interest of the community. The emergence of black political clout in the 1940s contributed to the election of relatively moderate mayors, rather than hard-line segregationists. Mindful of the city's image, in the 1960s Mayor William B. Hartfield and other local promoters cast Atlanta as "The City Too Busy to Hate," to distinguish it from other Southern communities. A violent reaction to desegregation was seen as bad for business, and key leaders embraced negotiation and compromise instead.

Certainly, a deep gap often existed between the rhetoric of "The City Too Busy to Hate" and the realities of life in a segregated city. And Atlanta experienced its share of violent episodes and failed leadership. Yet the city's more moderate views on desegregation and the personal relationships established across the color line helped set Atlanta apart.

I also liked this quote from Diane Nash. Although, it can be used equally by different people depending on their beliefs. I suppose gun-rights activists feel they are doing the same thing as protesters using non-violent means. Anyway, it was interesting.

And this one...

This exhibit outlining nonviolence training during the civil rights movement was pretty interesting as well. I wish I'd taken a picture of the entire thing. If you click on the pic you can enlarge it and read what people had to go through. Again, I can't imagine what it must have been like during that time - which wasn't all that long ago!

These last two pictures were from the human rights area. It was not as large as the civil rights exhibit because it's just been added and was on just one floor of the building. Still, I thought these signs "The basics of being human," and suggestions for "forming a more perfect union" were pretty good.

It seemed there were some other things I was going to share about this visit but I must have waited too long to write about it. Anyway, it was definitely interesting and not just a tad bit eye-opening. I'm glad we went.