Students will learn sobering and crucial lessons about the Civil Rights Movement and continued efforts for Black equality.

The battle for equality and civil rights has been a fight felt throughout our nation’s history. Legendary heroes and activists worked to change the world through their courage and determination. Honoring their hard work and sacrifices, stands museums and monuments throughout the South. Students can visit landmarks that played host to rallies, demonstrations and boycotts to walk through the pages of the history books they’ve been reading for class curriculum. Getting to stand in the places they’ve only heard of before will strengthen the message and the history they’ve learned. Bring students on this journey to the many different civil rights locations throughout the south to experience a large part of our nation’s history.

International Civil Rights Center and Museum

The International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina offers school tours and the chance to independently tour the exhibits and experiences that are on offer. One of the pieces that can be found at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum is the counter and stool combination from the Greensboro sit-in where the Greensboro Four fought against segregation. “And Still I Rise!” exhibition is the perfect exhibit for students to explore the works of many people, like Maya Angelou, who helped fight the racial inhibitors people were facing through their efforts and contributions.

International Civil Rights Center, Credit Civil Rights Trail

National Civil Rights Museum

With hundreds of artifacts and its collection of influential exhibits, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee is home to an incredible learning experience for students. Exhibits like “Standing up by Sitting Down,” which offers a look into the sit-in demonstrations that helped further the Civil Rights Movement, offer important views into the movement for students to get a deeper understanding of the demonstrations and bravery it took to fight for a change.

National Civil Rights Museum, Credit Civil Rights Trail

Martin Luther King Jr., National Historical Park

The Martin Luther King Jr., National Historical Park in Atlanta, Georgia is an amazing place to brings students on a group trip to learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his efforts during the Civil Rights Movement. Among the sites that decorate the park are the resting place of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth home and The King Center, which are all are available to visitors for tours.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, Credit NPS

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

From guided tours to self-guided tours, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama is a great location to show students the history behind the Civil Rights Movement. The institute is home to exhibits that will highlight key activist moments that occurred during the movement and what it has taken to fight inequality.

Credit Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Gateway Arch National Park

The Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri is the home to the Old Courthouse where many slaves were sold and where many slaves fought, through the legal system, for their freedom. Most noted was the Dred Scott Case. Students can visit the Old Courthouse to learn about its trials and embark on a guided tour of the national park to explore more.

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

Field trips are available for students to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History in Jackson, Mississippi. “Forging Ahead: Civil Rights, Diversification, and Innovation” is one of the exhibits present at the Museum of Mississippi History. Students will see artifacts from 1946 on and dive deeper into their historical significance during the fight for equality throughout Mississippi and the United States.

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Credit Visit Ridgeland

National Voting Rights Museum and Institute

The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, Alabama offers several tour options for visitors looking to get an inside view into the bravery and courage surrounding the people who fought for their rights in Selma. One of those tour options is the “Footprints to Freedom Tour,” which includes tours of the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, the Slavery and Civil War Museum and a walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Other options and combinations for tours can be found on the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute website.

National Voting Rights Museum, Credit Civil Rights Trail

The Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice

The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama are powerful and significant locations for students to learn about slavery and the injustices that followed throughout the Civil Rights Movement and after. The Legacy Museum holds exhibits that show guests the reality behind being sold as a slave, facing segregation and the unjust treatment of individuals and their families. Photographs, sculptures and segregation signs are all on display in the museum to give visitors a view into the mistreatment many have had to face over the course of history. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice pays homage to those who lost their lives in 1950 through 1959 due to racial injustices and prejudices. Within this memorial, students will be able to see hundreds of monuments with names and counties meant to show the cruelty that occurred during this time and the countless lives lost too soon.