The National Center for Civil and Human Rights to Reopen November 8 with Major Expansion and New Exhibits

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights will reopen its doors on November 8, 2025 after completing a $57.9 million expansion that fulfills the vision of its founders to become a museum and cultural institution, and strengthens its role as a national leader in civil and human rights education. The Center raised $1.3 million beyond its goal of $56.6 million.

The expansion adds 24,000 square feet of new space, including six new galleries, one updated gallery, three classrooms, flexible event and meeting areas, and interactive experiences designed to connect history to pressing issues of today.

Opening day will feature special speakers, surprise moments, activities, and community programming designed to launch the Center’s next chapter. Guests are encouraged to reserve tickets now for reopening day—or purchase general admission tickets for access at any time once the Center reopens.

“Our reopening arrives at a pivotal moment,” said Jill Savitt, president and CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. “The Center exists to show how history speaks to the present. With these new galleries and spaces, we can offer not just stories of the past, but pathways for people to reflect, engage, and shape the future.”

Honoring Atlanta Leaders: Franklin Pavilion and Blank Inspiration Hall

The Center’s two new wings are named for two Atlantans whose vision and philanthropy made the Center possible:

• Shirley Clarke Franklin Pavilion, on the east side of the building, provides classrooms, meeting space, and a rooftop terrace with one of the best skyline views in Atlanta. Franklin led the charge to create the Center and served as the Center’s long-time board chair.
• Arthur M. Blank Inspiration Hall, on the west side, houses three new galleries and a store and café. Blank has been among the Center’s most significant supporters.

Expanded Galleries and Exhibits

The reopening introduces six new galleries and updates to the Center’s signature gallery on the Civil Rights Movement:

• Updated Rolls Down Like Water exhibition. The Center’s signature gallery on the US Civil Rights Movement will have a number of updates: doubled lunch counter seats, material on Black Power, and a reflection area. This gallery will now be on one floor and exit into the gallery devoted to Dr. King.
• A Committed Life: The Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection. The Center’s gallery devoted to Dr. King has been moved within the Center and totally reimagined. Every year, the Center rotates the artifacts twice a year and will now invite a guest curator for each rotation. The inaugural guest curator is Dr. Bernice King, the youngest child of Coretta Scott King and Dr. King.
• Everyone. Everywhere. The Global Human Rights Movement. The new human rights gallery presents stories of human rights issues and human rights defenders from around the world and a rotating immersive installation called A Mile in My Shoes, set up like a shoe store where visitors can hear other people’s stories while walking in a pair of their shoes.
• Action Lab: A space where visitors can design personal civic engagement plans. This space addresses the question visitors to the Center often ask after a visit: “What can I do?”
• Change Agent Adventure. The new gallery for children under 12 is designed as a secret headquarters for change agents with interactive activities that build civic skills and curiosity about justice. This gallery will open in April 2026.
• Broken Promises: The Legacy of the Reconstruction Era. This gallery about the consequential period after the Civil War features the Without Sanctuary collection and a memorial by artist Lonnie Holley. This gallery will open in December 2025.
• Special Exhibitions Gallery: For the first time, the Center will have dedicated space for temporary and traveling exhibitions. The first presentation in this gallery will be Reclaiming History: Selections from the Arnett Family Collection, an art exhibit of Black Southern artists who worked in the 1980s who demonstrate how art confronts injustice, builds solidarity, and opens space for change.

A New Hub for Events and Gatherings

With this expansion, the Center also emerges as one of Atlanta’s most striking new venues for public and private events, now booking for 2025 and 2026.

The Center has doubled its events space to 10,000 square feet. The new 5,000 square feet in the east wing will be flexible classroom and event space—ideal for conferences, corporate retreats, weddings, milestone celebrations, and community gatherings.

The roof of the wing is a terrace with sweeping skyline views.

“We wanted spaces that feel alive with Atlanta’s essence” said Savitt. “Spaces for children to learn, for people of all ages to reflect, and for communities to celebrate. The Center now offers both a place to reckon with history and a place to come together.”

Why Now

“American history has never been a straight road,” Savitt added. “It has always been a dialogue between progress and pushback, between our highest ideals and forces that resist them. This expansion gives us new ways to share those stories with integrity, and to remind people that all of us can help bend the arc toward justice.”

The reopening comes at a time of heightened debate about how history is presented in museums and schools, especially those that receive federal funds. In recent months, federal directives have required the Smithsonian Institution to review exhibitions and remove what some officials described as “divisive” or “improper” narratives. Cultural leaders and museum associations have raised concerns that political interference in exhibitions could have a chilling effect on museums across the country.

Women-Led Expansion: An Empowerment Story

The expansion was guided by women-owned and women-led firms across design, construction, and curation. The Center, Atelier Bruckner (exhibit design firm) and Juneau Construction (construction company) are all women led.

“This expansion carries the imprint of women’s leadership at every stage,” said Savitt. “From our founder Shirley Franklin to our exhibit design, construction, and curation, women have shaped this expansion with care and vision.”

Membership and Ticketing

The Center reopens to the public on November 8, 2025. Tickets and memberships are available now at civilandhumanrights.org.

Memberships purchased before reopening will include three extra months of benefits, plus reciprocal access to participating museums nationwide through a partnership program.

Given limited capacity for the reopening celebration, guests are strongly encouraged to reserve tickets in advance for November 8. General admission tickets are also available for visits any time after reopening.