In 1960, a Five and dime store became the center of change in the civil rights movement.

Fifty years ago, the F.W. Woolworth building in Greensboro, N.C., stood as a reminder of segregated life in the south. Today, the building stands as a monument to the power of human courage and its ability to bring about social change. The International Civil Rights Center & Museum is more than just a building designed to house historical exhibits and artifacts. It is a place to witness, to experience and to discuss how to affect social change in our own nation and around the world.

The Museum:
The International Civil Rights Center & Museum is an archival center, collecting museum and teaching facility devoted to the international struggle for civil and human rights. The Museum will celebrate the nonviolent protests of the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins that served as a catalyst in the civil rights movement.

The Museum complex features educational exhibits, a gallery, auditorium, archival center and a proposed Joint Center for the Study of Human Rights. The Museum will open on Feb. 1, 2010, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins.

The International Civil Rights Center & Museum was founded by Melvin “Skip” Alston and Earl Jones in 1993 under the auspices of the Sit-In Movement, Inc.

Events:

January 2010
Town Hall Forum: 21st Activism and Protest, the State of the Civil Rights Movement
Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This town hall style forum will examine the history of the civil rights movement and its social and economic impact on equality issues in America. This event is being co-sponsored by North Carolina A&T State University and Bennett College and will be held at N.C. A&T’s Alumni Event Center in Greensboro, N.C.

50th Anniversary Gala
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Museum’s annual benefit honors the unsung heroes of the movement and individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the continuing struggle for justice and racial equality. The event will be held at the Koury Convention Center.

Celebration of Unity Service
Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Part of the Museum’s grand opening activities. This free, communitywide service will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum located in Greensboro, N.C.

February 2010
Museum’s Grand Opening
Monday, Feb. 1, 2010
8:00 a.m. to 8:40 a.m.
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins, the International Civil Rights Center & Museum will open its doors on Feb. 1, 2010. Ribbon cutting ceremony will begin at 8:00 a.m. at the corner of Elm Street and February One Place in downtown Greensboro, N.C.

Museum Features, Exhibits and Size:

The Museum complex includes 30,000 square feet of exhibit space and is located in the historic 1929 F.W. Woolworth building. The Museum features:
• Original lunch counter and stools where the A&T/Greensboro Four (Ezell Blair, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond) began their protest on Feb. 1, 1960.
• Educational exhibits, including 14 signature exhibits devoted to the struggle of human and civil rights in the “Battlegrounds” area of the Museum.
• State-of-art auditorium (seats 172)
• Archival center
• Gallery featuring traveling exhibits and community meeting space
• SIMI’s Room, a children’s education and activity center for K-12 students and educators
• A proposed Joint Center for the Study of Human Rights
• Administrative offices for Museum staff

Seek the Triad would like to thank the ICRCM for working so hard to have a place for folks to visit and remember this incredible part of not just Greensboro’s, but the nation’s history! If you would like to help this great cause please click here about making a donation.

{Please note: ALL information here on Seek’s post was obtained from the International Civil Rights Center & Museum.}