Legacy Museum Reopens with New Exhibits
EJI is reopening the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration with new COVID-19 safeguards and major new exhibits. EJI opened the National Memorial this summer but announced today that the Legacy Museum is also reopening with free admission. Visitors will be required to wear masks and submit to temperature checks and the number of visitors has been reduced to 25% capacity to facilitate social distancing. EJI has also installed UV filters throughout the space.
A new exhibit on the Montgomery Bus Boycott that honors many local residents and citizens whose work was central to the success of a movement that inspired civil rights and activism around the world is now on display.
A special new exhibit on the Transatlantic Slave Trade is now open at EJI’s Legacy Pavilion and will run until November 30. Beginning in the 15th century, an estimated 12.7 million women, men, and children were kidnapped in Africa, forced onto ships, and transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. An estimated two million people died during the devastating journey due to horrific conditions, making the Atlantic Ocean the burial site for hundreds of thousands of Black people who have been largely forgotten.
"Slavery in the North has not received the attention it should," said EJI Director Bryan Stevenson. "Many coastal communities in the North and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States were built around human trafficking and the commerce generated by enslaving and selling people. This history has a legacy that has not been acknowledged and this exhibit is an effort to address this silence."
The new Transatlantic Slave Trade exhibit features new sculptures by artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, whose Nkyinkyim Installation depicting the era of enslavement in America can be seen at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.
The Legacy Museum and the Legacy Pavilion are open Wednesday to Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm (last entry at 4:30 pm). Timed entry tickets are required.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is also open Wednesday to Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm (last entry at 4:30 pm). Special nighttime visits continue on Saturdays from 7:30 pm to 9 pm (last entry 8:30 pm). Beginning on November 7, the memorial will be open on Saturdays from 9 am to 7:30 pm (last entry at 7 pm).
Tickets may be obtained online or at the ticket office in the Legacy Pavilion at 400 N. Court Street.
Pannie-George’s Kitchen in the Legacy Pavilion at 400 N. Court Street continues to serve outstanding soul food Wednesday to Saturday from 10:30 am to 7 pm and Sunday to Monday from 10:30 am to 3 pm. Pannie-George’s Kitchen also provides opportunities and training for young people in project management, critical and strategic thinking, academic development, financial development, and civic and community outreach through their Leadership Academy. On Monday, October 19 at 5:30 pm, Pannie-George’s will host their inaugural Leadership Academy Celebration at the Legacy Pavilion to honor the winners of the Chef and Leadership Academy Competition. The event is open to the public.
