January 19, 2025 • 26 mins
Dr. Russ Wigginton , President of the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tenn. joins Hosts Ramses Ja and Q Ward to discuss the events planned for the 2025 MLK weekend . Part 1 of 2
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Monday, January twentieth, twenty twenty five, marks the thirty ninth
celebration of Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Day in the
United States to honor the legacy of doctor King. Today's
guest has spent his background specializing in African American and
community history as well as institutional strategy and engagement. With
a long standing and highly decorated career in education, he
(00:22):
is a trusted and devoted advocate, educator, published author, and philanthropist.
Here with us to discuss the life and legacy of
doctor Martin Luther King, Junior, the intentions and impact behind
his final campaign, to share more about the National Civil
Rights Museum, and how the museum will be honoring doctor
King's birthday this year. We have President of the National
Civil Rights Museum, Doctor Russ Wigginton. This is the Black
(00:46):
Information Network Daily Podcast. I am your host ramses Jah
and I am your host Q Ward. All right, Doctor
Russ Wyggington, I am really excited to talk to you again.
Welcome back to the show. A Happy New year to you, sir.
What's the latest and talk to me?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Happy new Year to you all as well, and great
to be back with you. Great to be celebrating doctor
King's birthday, and perhaps it means more now than ever
that we take that moment to celebrate. I'm looking forward
(01:23):
to this conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Oh yeah, we're going to get to all of that,
trust me. So before we before we get rolling, I
know that you've been here before, but we've had a
lot of new listeners, you know, you know, join this
journey that we're on. Do us a favor one more time.
Just the briefest of introductions of yourself. You know, again,
where you grew up, sort of what led you to
the position that you hold up the museum. Just a
(01:46):
brief overview so that you know, the newcomers know a
little bit more about your background here.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Absolutely so. I'm originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and grew up
living in various parts of the country. My dad's work
and us relocating and a couple of things important I
think about sort of my background growing up in Louisville, Kentucky.
I am the offspring of Benny Willington and Russell Senior,
(02:18):
both of them graduates of Central High School at the
same time that who was known as Cassius Clay was
in school with them. So think about. One of the
interesting dynamics of segregation is in a place like Louisville, Kentucky,
(02:41):
with approximately fifteen percent African American population, all of the
black students went to school together, and that created some
interesting allegiances and dynamics if you would sort of imagine
that last of nineteen sixty for my dad, in sixty
(03:03):
one for my mom. Muhammad Ali was the Olympic champion
in nineteen sixty, So he's literally in school with my
dad when he's fighting on behalf of this country for
the Olympics. Put a pin in that the quickly. My
(03:28):
dad went to Howard University and during his time there,
his sweep mate was Stokely Carmichael. My mom remained in Louisville,
and she got involved in the movement to desegregate lunch
counters in Louisville and when was arrested helping to desegregate
(03:50):
public eating establishments. So I'm the offspring of two people
who were immersed in not just the civil rights movement
but what it meant or equality and equity and the
demise of discrimination. I had the good fortune of growing
(04:15):
up in that household, and I would say that led
me for my interest and desire to eventually go to
graduate school and earn a PhD in African American history,
went to the University of Illinois or Abanas Champagne, and
early days was a history professor back in my alma mater,
(04:38):
Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, a small, private, live of
arts college that led me to deepen my work in
administration and community relations. All of that came together such
that I was able to get connected with the National
Civil Rights Museum in nineteen six as a young history professor.
(05:06):
Imagine me with a short afro and no gray in
my beer in this place, this place, in its infancy.
This place was founded in nineteen ninety one, So as
the National Civil Rights Museum was finding its identity, I
was finding mine as a history professor, and I had
(05:27):
the chance to literally go four miles down the road,
visit this place and build out my course around my
course on African American history, around what this museum presented.
Little did I know that fifteen or so years later
(05:47):
I would have the opportunity to become a board member
here at the National Civil Rights Museum. And little did
I know a decade after that I would be have
the honor of being asked to serve as the president
of this sacred, sacred place, and I've been in this
role since August of twenty twenty one. I'm not sure
(06:09):
that was the question you asked me, but that's the
one that got work. No, that's that's fascinating.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
We are literally speaking to a child of black history,
the civil rights movement, and black prosperity. That was incredible
to listen to. And thank you again for spending some
time with us today.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Doc.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
The Loremotel boast its own interesting history and story. I
share a bit more about that backstory the motel and
how the museum itself came to be there.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Absolutely, and one of the fascinating things about Memphis, Tennessee.
I always tell people the world would be a lesser
place if Memphis were not in it. Memphis is a
interesting and dynamic and complicated place. It is indeed the
capital of the Delta. What that has meant over time
(07:06):
is that it was part of it was sort of
a phase of the Promised Land, if you will, if
you were black and coming out of the Delta region
where so many black people historically have come from, and
(07:26):
to be in Memphis was this amalgamation of cultures, the
amalgamation of black culture in particular. Memphis is one of
those places that has for a very long time had
a sort of a fabric that incorporated African American culture
(07:49):
and the richness of that culture. I mentioned that because
despite that very intense commitment to segregation, and so the
Lorraine Motel, once upon a time was for whites only.
(08:10):
And it's its conversion with African American ownership that happened
in the on the on the on the cusp of
the modern day civil rights movement was an important moment
because in many ways, you have this place that is
(08:31):
in the center of downtown where African Americans can congregate
and be in community, and it becomes this attraction for
people who came to Memphis, who came to Memphis for
the music industry, who came to Memphis as celebrities, as
Black celebrities, but also a place where whites would also
(08:54):
continue to come. So it was it was a desegregated facility.
The once Walter and Laurie Bailey UH owned the the Motel,
and so all manner of taboo breaking UH situations would
(09:14):
happen here. So it becomes this really critical place for UH.
I would describe it as capturing the power and influence
of African American life. And when you when you connect
(09:38):
that to what eventually happened and what subsequently we've become.
There were some town square dynamics, if you will, that
were already in existence back in the heart of the
civil rights movement in a way that it takes place
even today. So Walter and Laurie Bailey did did a service,
(10:04):
uh to this community by owning this establishment. A quick
little side story, UH, if you if you look at
sort of the signage of the Lorraine, and if you
look at how the Lorraine was even laid out, there's
some very strong linkages to Holiday Inn. And the reason
(10:29):
there are those those strong linkages is that Holiday Inn
was founded in Memphis, and so the owner and the
founder of Holiday Inn, Walter Bailey, worked for the owner
and founder of Holiday Inn, uh in addition to owning
(10:50):
the Lorraine, And so there are these interesting connections to
Holiday Inn and the Lorraine Motel. To this day, the
grandson of the founder of Holiday Inn serves on the
board here at the National Civil Rights Museum.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
We are here today with the president of the National
Civil Rights Museum doctor Russ Wigginton learning about one of Memphis,
Tennessee's most historic and important attractions, discussing the life and
legacy of doctor King.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
You know, there's.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
There's so much more history there than I even knew,
and so much more h's it's an even more special
place than I had had known. I just kind of
knew it to be the place where you know, doctor
King spent his last moments, and then of course having
these conversations with you, you know, knowing that it fell
(11:52):
into a sorry state, we'll say, for some time, and
then it was acquired of it, forgive me if I'm
miss speaking, but acquired and then preserved and restored so
that you know, folks could could learn about, you know,
(12:13):
the history of civil rights in this country. And it's
a fantastic compliment to the Smithsonian Museum in d C,
the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I
had no idea that it was at a point black owned.
(12:37):
I had no idea that it was at a point
a segregated, white's only motel. I had no idea that
at a point it was where you know, the the
who's who of black celebrity during that time would stay.
And so all of this works together to make that
an even more significant place in my mind. And so
(12:59):
just a a special, a special piece of history. That's
that's that's structural that that we can go and visit
and almost it's almost like a pilgrimage or a Mecca
type journey that that we should all make in this country.
And I always knew it was very special, but to
know how special it it still continues to get just
(13:21):
kind of kind of fills me up a little bit
more so. Obviously now is the time when people are
considering making that that journey. Talk to us a little
bit about what's in store for the museum for doctor
Martin Luther King Junior Day, and you know, for folks
that may not be able to make it, discuss if
whether or not and what sort of maybe virtual options
(13:43):
are for folks who want to, you know, kind of
learn a little bit or you know, you know, be
present in the moment but may not have the capacity
to travel.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Absolutely, and thank you for that acknowledgment. It is a
reminder and we and we think about it daily that
this place almost did not unfold to be this to
be a place of of not just memory, but also
(14:14):
a place of consciousness for even for present day. After
doctor King died, as you mentioned, it did fall into disrepair. Uh.
And what we make sure people don't forget. This became
an eyesore for Memphis and for our country. We didn't
want to talk about it, we didn't want to think
about it. It brought up painful memories and complicated memories,
(14:41):
and it was about to be not to the ground.
And then people rallied, the community rally. We had some
prominent African American business leaders that that galvanized local folks
and folks throughout the state. This said, we must do
(15:02):
something positive with this place, and that began the journey.
What I can tell you is in the late eighties,
when that journey was underway, nobody was anticipating or predicting
that thirty five ish years later it would be a
(15:22):
place where approximately three hundred thousand people would come every year.
Nobody was predicting that on doctor King's birthday, which was
just barely coming into existence, right and when you think
about the late eighties, that between ten and fifteen thousand
(15:42):
people would be on our campus on his birthday. Nobody
was predicting that an international crowd of visitors, media, etc.
Would would be here on his birthday and throughout the years.
So we don't ever take it for granted that things
(16:04):
didn't have to have to shake out, if you will,
the way they have. What that has meant, however, is
we have a tremendous responsibility and so we recognize not
everybody can physically be here. So we are offering a
virtual version of King Day which people will get a
chance to experience at from ten o'clock for approximately an
(16:25):
hour or so an hour and a half, people can
watch and visualize a special King Day program virtually. They
can register at our on our website Civil Rights Museum
dot o RG. Civil Rights Museum dot o rg. You
can register for the online version. It will be a
(16:50):
dynamic day. It's a day that is grounded in the
in the theme of community over chaos. And the reason
we pick community over chaos is we have an overarching
theme that comes from doctor King's last book, Where do
(17:10):
we Go from here? Chaos or Community? His book is
the last book that he published, Where do we go
from here? Chaos our Community? He lays out, we have
a choice. There are some things we can do to
create community in a whole nother way, or we can
(17:32):
have chaos. And he wrote that book in nineteen sixty seven,
but we're asking the question in twenty twenty five, and
we're asking the question with all sincerity, where do we
go from here? How do we create community? What are
the challenges to community? And if you look at the
pillars that he mentioned then that they go very much
(17:55):
to core issues around poverty and around housing, and around education,
and around mass incarceration, THESEE and around gender equity. These
issues that he talked about in nineteen sixty seven, we're
(18:15):
still talking about dealing with hoping to rectify today and
King Day, which is a community day sponsored by FedEx,
sponsored by Ford Philanthropy, with six hundred plus volunteers on
(18:37):
that day from across the community. We are providing a
day of not just a one off day of community building,
but a blueprint for how do we build community and
how do we exist in community through a lens of
civility and mutual will, respect and humanity regardless of where
(19:07):
people starting point is, if you will, on their journey
for civil and human rights. And so we have great
partnerships with organizations around the Memphis area that we collaborate with.
We work with the Mid South Food Bank to collect food.
(19:30):
We work with Vitalent Blood Bank. We have COVID and
flu vaccinations and and we have so we have a
health equity. Uh. Emphasis, it's a day of celebration. It
is doctor King's birthday. We will have the arts and
(19:51):
culture dimension that shows up prominently. As you all both know,
there's a whole lot of talent in Memphis. There's a
whole lot of talent that that that shows up and
inspires people in sharing their talent. It is a day
of reckoning. Uh, It's a day of rejuvenation. And this
(20:14):
year it happens to also be Inauguration Day.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
The timing because of that couldn't be any you know,
more clear for community over chaos to be the theme,
because you know, we have to be transparent. The post
election there was a haze of okay, what now and
(20:41):
us collectively building community instead of falling into chaos is
a great place to start. I actually wrote that down
while you were speaking because I needed that, and you know,
there couldn't be a better time for for that to
be the message and the theme.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
People.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
You want to know not just where to go from here?
But where we've already been, and we've been told that
right now more than ever, institutions like the Civil Rights
Museum are more necessary now than ever. Aside from the
(21:23):
programming for doctor Martin Luther King Junior, what are some
other exhibits, exhibitions that people can can come and check out,
and some different things that people can come to learn
from paying a visit to the museum.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
So I love that question, and twenty twenty five is
going to be such an exciting year for us. That
theme that I mentioned, where do we go from here?
Chaos our community that is actually driving a thirty eight
million dollar renovation to our boarding house. The boarding House
(22:04):
or the Legacy Building is the building across the street
from the Lorraine Motel where the alleged shot was fired from.
And if you can imagine the utilization of that space,
it's a significant building to extend the story. This renovation
is about answering the question of where do we go
(22:26):
from here? And it's answering it from literally April fifth,
nineteen sixty eight, the day after doctor King was assassinated,
is where we pick up and we go all the
way to the present day. Because what our visitors have
told us historically is once they leave room three oh six,
they they have the question, what happened after doctor King died?
(22:50):
What would he want us to do? Where are we
to what is to happen? What happened to the movement?
And so we have made this commitment through the rent
of our exterior space, the part which will be a
much more enticing community space to this building, to answer
that question. And so if you can imagine lifting up
(23:13):
many of the signature moments from sixty eight to the
President of Progress, but also reality, imagine on the Lorraine side,
m til and then you go over to the boarding
house side, and you get Rodney King, and then you
(23:36):
get George Floyd and here in Memphis Tyree Nichols right
the through line of those moments. So we're gonna talk
about the past, but we're gonna talk about the far
back past, the more recent past, and the issues today
(23:56):
that are still at play. We're also going to talk
about some of the moments of hope and inspiration. This
is about hopefulness and that each person plays a role.
So there has been significant progress over that time, and
we're going to lift up all those moments as well,
and so what we're trying to do is is situate
(24:19):
the museum experience overall so that everyone, regardless of where
they are and life and their age, that they can
see themselves and see points of connection of the One
of the important challenges we discovered as we decided to
embark on this renovation is that as our society gets
(24:41):
older and we're losing so many key individuals who could
give us first hand accounts and who provided the leadership
for the movement, historic movements, as fewer of them remain
with us, we have to keep their stories alive, and
(25:01):
we have to do it in ways that young people. Frankly,
young people today can touch it and feel it and
see themselves. So while we're always, for example, gonna lift
up the legacy of Reverend James Lawson, who we recently lost,
his courage and his leadership is immeasurable, it's also important
(25:23):
that people today, young people today can garner strength and
mentorship from him and see themselves as doing the best
that they can do. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things is
the history of the movement, it's also the present of
(25:45):
the movement if we're going to reach our full potential.
So we're cognizant of the past, but we're also cognitive
of this particular moment, and we are committed to making
sure sure that everybody knows the story, knows it unapologetically,
(26:07):
and sees how they slide in. If you will to
be part of the solution.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
This concludes part one of our two part conversation with
doctor russ Wiginton, president of the National Civil Rights Museum.
Check back in tomorrow for part two, right here on
the Black Information Network Daily Podcast.
Monday, January twentieth, twenty twenty five, marks the thirty ninth
celebration of Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Day in the
United States to honor the legacy of doctor King. Today's
guest has spent his background specializing in African American and
community history as well as institutional strategy and engagement. With
a long standing and highly decorated career in education, he
(00:22):
is a trusted and devoted advocate, educator, published author, and philanthropist.
Here with us to discuss the life and legacy of
doctor Martin Luther King, Junior, the intentions and impact behind
his final campaign, to share more about the National Civil
Rights Museum, and how the museum will be honoring doctor
King's birthday this year. We have President of the National
Civil Rights Museum, Doctor Russ Wigginton. This is the Black
(00:46):
Information Network Daily Podcast. I am your host ramses Jah
and I am your host Q Ward. All right, Doctor
Russ Wyggington, I am really excited to talk to you again.
Welcome back to the show. A Happy New year to you, sir.
What's the latest and talk to me?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Happy new Year to you all as well, and great
to be back with you. Great to be celebrating doctor
King's birthday, and perhaps it means more now than ever
that we take that moment to celebrate. I'm looking forward
(01:23):
to this conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Oh yeah, we're going to get to all of that,
trust me. So before we before we get rolling, I
know that you've been here before, but we've had a
lot of new listeners, you know, you know, join this
journey that we're on. Do us a favor one more time.
Just the briefest of introductions of yourself. You know, again,
where you grew up, sort of what led you to
the position that you hold up the museum. Just a
(01:46):
brief overview so that you know, the newcomers know a
little bit more about your background here.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Absolutely so. I'm originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and grew up
living in various parts of the country. My dad's work
and us relocating and a couple of things important I
think about sort of my background growing up in Louisville, Kentucky.
I am the offspring of Benny Willington and Russell Senior,
(02:18):
both of them graduates of Central High School at the
same time that who was known as Cassius Clay was
in school with them. So think about. One of the
interesting dynamics of segregation is in a place like Louisville, Kentucky,
(02:41):
with approximately fifteen percent African American population, all of the
black students went to school together, and that created some
interesting allegiances and dynamics if you would sort of imagine
that last of nineteen sixty for my dad, in sixty
(03:03):
one for my mom. Muhammad Ali was the Olympic champion
in nineteen sixty, So he's literally in school with my
dad when he's fighting on behalf of this country for
the Olympics. Put a pin in that the quickly. My
(03:28):
dad went to Howard University and during his time there,
his sweep mate was Stokely Carmichael. My mom remained in Louisville,
and she got involved in the movement to desegregate lunch
counters in Louisville and when was arrested helping to desegregate
(03:50):
public eating establishments. So I'm the offspring of two people
who were immersed in not just the civil rights movement
but what it meant or equality and equity and the
demise of discrimination. I had the good fortune of growing
(04:15):
up in that household, and I would say that led
me for my interest and desire to eventually go to
graduate school and earn a PhD in African American history,
went to the University of Illinois or Abanas Champagne, and
early days was a history professor back in my alma mater,
(04:38):
Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, a small, private, live of
arts college that led me to deepen my work in
administration and community relations. All of that came together such
that I was able to get connected with the National
Civil Rights Museum in nineteen six as a young history professor.
(05:06):
Imagine me with a short afro and no gray in
my beer in this place, this place, in its infancy.
This place was founded in nineteen ninety one, So as
the National Civil Rights Museum was finding its identity, I
was finding mine as a history professor, and I had
(05:27):
the chance to literally go four miles down the road,
visit this place and build out my course around my
course on African American history, around what this museum presented.
Little did I know that fifteen or so years later
(05:47):
I would have the opportunity to become a board member
here at the National Civil Rights Museum. And little did
I know a decade after that I would be have
the honor of being asked to serve as the president
of this sacred, sacred place, and I've been in this
role since August of twenty twenty one. I'm not sure
(06:09):
that was the question you asked me, but that's the
one that got work. No, that's that's fascinating.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
We are literally speaking to a child of black history,
the civil rights movement, and black prosperity. That was incredible
to listen to. And thank you again for spending some
time with us today.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Doc.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
The Loremotel boast its own interesting history and story. I
share a bit more about that backstory the motel and
how the museum itself came to be there.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Absolutely, and one of the fascinating things about Memphis, Tennessee.
I always tell people the world would be a lesser
place if Memphis were not in it. Memphis is a
interesting and dynamic and complicated place. It is indeed the
capital of the Delta. What that has meant over time
(07:06):
is that it was part of it was sort of
a phase of the Promised Land, if you will, if
you were black and coming out of the Delta region
where so many black people historically have come from, and
(07:26):
to be in Memphis was this amalgamation of cultures, the
amalgamation of black culture in particular. Memphis is one of
those places that has for a very long time had
a sort of a fabric that incorporated African American culture
(07:49):
and the richness of that culture. I mentioned that because
despite that very intense commitment to segregation, and so the
Lorraine Motel, once upon a time was for whites only.
(08:10):
And it's its conversion with African American ownership that happened
in the on the on the on the cusp of
the modern day civil rights movement was an important moment
because in many ways, you have this place that is
(08:31):
in the center of downtown where African Americans can congregate
and be in community, and it becomes this attraction for
people who came to Memphis, who came to Memphis for
the music industry, who came to Memphis as celebrities, as
Black celebrities, but also a place where whites would also
(08:54):
continue to come. So it was it was a desegregated facility.
The once Walter and Laurie Bailey UH owned the the Motel,
and so all manner of taboo breaking UH situations would
(09:14):
happen here. So it becomes this really critical place for UH.
I would describe it as capturing the power and influence
of African American life. And when you when you connect
(09:38):
that to what eventually happened and what subsequently we've become.
There were some town square dynamics, if you will, that
were already in existence back in the heart of the
civil rights movement in a way that it takes place
even today. So Walter and Laurie Bailey did did a service,
(10:04):
uh to this community by owning this establishment. A quick
little side story, UH, if you if you look at
sort of the signage of the Lorraine, and if you
look at how the Lorraine was even laid out, there's
some very strong linkages to Holiday Inn. And the reason
(10:29):
there are those those strong linkages is that Holiday Inn
was founded in Memphis, and so the owner and the
founder of Holiday Inn, Walter Bailey, worked for the owner
and founder of Holiday Inn, uh in addition to owning
(10:50):
the Lorraine, And so there are these interesting connections to
Holiday Inn and the Lorraine Motel. To this day, the
grandson of the founder of Holiday Inn serves on the
board here at the National Civil Rights Museum.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
We are here today with the president of the National
Civil Rights Museum doctor Russ Wigginton learning about one of Memphis,
Tennessee's most historic and important attractions, discussing the life and
legacy of doctor King.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
You know, there's.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
There's so much more history there than I even knew,
and so much more h's it's an even more special
place than I had had known. I just kind of
knew it to be the place where you know, doctor
King spent his last moments, and then of course having
these conversations with you, you know, knowing that it fell
(11:52):
into a sorry state, we'll say, for some time, and
then it was acquired of it, forgive me if I'm
miss speaking, but acquired and then preserved and restored so
that you know, folks could could learn about, you know,
(12:13):
the history of civil rights in this country. And it's
a fantastic compliment to the Smithsonian Museum in d C,
the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I
had no idea that it was at a point black owned.
(12:37):
I had no idea that it was at a point
a segregated, white's only motel. I had no idea that
at a point it was where you know, the the
who's who of black celebrity during that time would stay.
And so all of this works together to make that
an even more significant place in my mind. And so
(12:59):
just a a special, a special piece of history. That's
that's that's structural that that we can go and visit
and almost it's almost like a pilgrimage or a Mecca
type journey that that we should all make in this country.
And I always knew it was very special, but to
know how special it it still continues to get just
(13:21):
kind of kind of fills me up a little bit
more so. Obviously now is the time when people are
considering making that that journey. Talk to us a little
bit about what's in store for the museum for doctor
Martin Luther King Junior Day, and you know, for folks
that may not be able to make it, discuss if
whether or not and what sort of maybe virtual options
(13:43):
are for folks who want to, you know, kind of
learn a little bit or you know, you know, be
present in the moment but may not have the capacity
to travel.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Absolutely, and thank you for that acknowledgment. It is a
reminder and we and we think about it daily that
this place almost did not unfold to be this to
be a place of of not just memory, but also
(14:14):
a place of consciousness for even for present day. After
doctor King died, as you mentioned, it did fall into disrepair. Uh.
And what we make sure people don't forget. This became
an eyesore for Memphis and for our country. We didn't
want to talk about it, we didn't want to think
about it. It brought up painful memories and complicated memories,
(14:41):
and it was about to be not to the ground.
And then people rallied, the community rally. We had some
prominent African American business leaders that that galvanized local folks
and folks throughout the state. This said, we must do
(15:02):
something positive with this place, and that began the journey.
What I can tell you is in the late eighties,
when that journey was underway, nobody was anticipating or predicting
that thirty five ish years later it would be a
(15:22):
place where approximately three hundred thousand people would come every year.
Nobody was predicting that on doctor King's birthday, which was
just barely coming into existence, right and when you think
about the late eighties, that between ten and fifteen thousand
(15:42):
people would be on our campus on his birthday. Nobody
was predicting that an international crowd of visitors, media, etc.
Would would be here on his birthday and throughout the years.
So we don't ever take it for granted that things
(16:04):
didn't have to have to shake out, if you will,
the way they have. What that has meant, however, is
we have a tremendous responsibility and so we recognize not
everybody can physically be here. So we are offering a
virtual version of King Day which people will get a
chance to experience at from ten o'clock for approximately an
(16:25):
hour or so an hour and a half, people can
watch and visualize a special King Day program virtually. They
can register at our on our website Civil Rights Museum
dot o RG. Civil Rights Museum dot o rg. You
can register for the online version. It will be a
(16:50):
dynamic day. It's a day that is grounded in the
in the theme of community over chaos. And the reason
we pick community over chaos is we have an overarching
theme that comes from doctor King's last book, Where do
(17:10):
we Go from here? Chaos or Community? His book is
the last book that he published, Where do we go
from here? Chaos our Community? He lays out, we have
a choice. There are some things we can do to
create community in a whole nother way, or we can
(17:32):
have chaos. And he wrote that book in nineteen sixty seven,
but we're asking the question in twenty twenty five, and
we're asking the question with all sincerity, where do we
go from here? How do we create community? What are
the challenges to community? And if you look at the
pillars that he mentioned then that they go very much
(17:55):
to core issues around poverty and around housing, and around education,
and around mass incarceration, THESEE and around gender equity. These
issues that he talked about in nineteen sixty seven, we're
(18:15):
still talking about dealing with hoping to rectify today and
King Day, which is a community day sponsored by FedEx,
sponsored by Ford Philanthropy, with six hundred plus volunteers on
(18:37):
that day from across the community. We are providing a
day of not just a one off day of community building,
but a blueprint for how do we build community and
how do we exist in community through a lens of
civility and mutual will, respect and humanity regardless of where
(19:07):
people starting point is, if you will, on their journey
for civil and human rights. And so we have great
partnerships with organizations around the Memphis area that we collaborate with.
We work with the Mid South Food Bank to collect food.
(19:30):
We work with Vitalent Blood Bank. We have COVID and
flu vaccinations and and we have so we have a
health equity. Uh. Emphasis, it's a day of celebration. It
is doctor King's birthday. We will have the arts and
(19:51):
culture dimension that shows up prominently. As you all both know,
there's a whole lot of talent in Memphis. There's a
whole lot of talent that that that shows up and
inspires people in sharing their talent. It is a day
of reckoning. Uh, It's a day of rejuvenation. And this
(20:14):
year it happens to also be Inauguration Day.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
The timing because of that couldn't be any you know,
more clear for community over chaos to be the theme,
because you know, we have to be transparent. The post
election there was a haze of okay, what now and
(20:41):
us collectively building community instead of falling into chaos is
a great place to start. I actually wrote that down
while you were speaking because I needed that, and you know,
there couldn't be a better time for for that to
be the message and the theme.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
People.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
You want to know not just where to go from here?
But where we've already been, and we've been told that
right now more than ever, institutions like the Civil Rights
Museum are more necessary now than ever. Aside from the
(21:23):
programming for doctor Martin Luther King Junior, what are some
other exhibits, exhibitions that people can can come and check out,
and some different things that people can come to learn
from paying a visit to the museum.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
So I love that question, and twenty twenty five is
going to be such an exciting year for us. That
theme that I mentioned, where do we go from here?
Chaos our community that is actually driving a thirty eight
million dollar renovation to our boarding house. The boarding House
(22:04):
or the Legacy Building is the building across the street
from the Lorraine Motel where the alleged shot was fired from.
And if you can imagine the utilization of that space,
it's a significant building to extend the story. This renovation
is about answering the question of where do we go
(22:26):
from here? And it's answering it from literally April fifth,
nineteen sixty eight, the day after doctor King was assassinated,
is where we pick up and we go all the
way to the present day. Because what our visitors have
told us historically is once they leave room three oh six,
they they have the question, what happened after doctor King died?
(22:50):
What would he want us to do? Where are we
to what is to happen? What happened to the movement?
And so we have made this commitment through the rent
of our exterior space, the part which will be a
much more enticing community space to this building, to answer
that question. And so if you can imagine lifting up
(23:13):
many of the signature moments from sixty eight to the
President of Progress, but also reality, imagine on the Lorraine side,
m til and then you go over to the boarding
house side, and you get Rodney King, and then you
(23:36):
get George Floyd and here in Memphis Tyree Nichols right
the through line of those moments. So we're gonna talk
about the past, but we're gonna talk about the far
back past, the more recent past, and the issues today
(23:56):
that are still at play. We're also going to talk
about some of the moments of hope and inspiration. This
is about hopefulness and that each person plays a role.
So there has been significant progress over that time, and
we're going to lift up all those moments as well,
and so what we're trying to do is is situate
(24:19):
the museum experience overall so that everyone, regardless of where
they are and life and their age, that they can
see themselves and see points of connection of the One
of the important challenges we discovered as we decided to
embark on this renovation is that as our society gets
(24:41):
older and we're losing so many key individuals who could
give us first hand accounts and who provided the leadership
for the movement, historic movements, as fewer of them remain
with us, we have to keep their stories alive, and
(25:01):
we have to do it in ways that young people. Frankly,
young people today can touch it and feel it and
see themselves. So while we're always, for example, gonna lift
up the legacy of Reverend James Lawson, who we recently lost,
his courage and his leadership is immeasurable, it's also important
(25:23):
that people today, young people today can garner strength and
mentorship from him and see themselves as doing the best
that they can do. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things is
the history of the movement, it's also the present of
(25:45):
the movement if we're going to reach our full potential.
So we're cognizant of the past, but we're also cognitive
of this particular moment, and we are committed to making
sure sure that everybody knows the story, knows it unapologetically,
(26:07):
and sees how they slide in. If you will to
be part of the solution.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
This concludes part one of our two part conversation with
doctor russ Wiginton, president of the National Civil Rights Museum.
Check back in tomorrow for part two, right here on
the Black Information Network Daily Podcast.
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