Visit the 10 Tennessee Sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
Gov. Haslam and Mr. Elmore Nickleberry, sanitation worker, at the launch of the Tennessee sites of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. Photo by Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
Coinciding with National Black History Month in February, the Tennessee portion of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail launched this week. Gov. Bill Haslam, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett officially dedicated 10 sites as part of the trail.
“The National Civil Rights Museum provides a world-class experience for visitors who seek to learn about the struggles and triumphs of civil rights,” Haslam said at a press conference on Feb. 21. “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a movement of faith-based non-violent protest to fight the injustices of segregation that led to significant civil-rights advances for African Americans. Although his life was taken at the Lorraine Motel, his legacy lives on here and in many places across Tennessee. The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a journey of discovery and education about events that shifted the course of history for our country and for our state.”
The Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton, Tennessee, honors the first 12 black students integrated into Clinton High School in 1956. Photo by Jeffrey S. Otto/Tennessee Home & Farm
The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a collection of churches, courthouses, schools, museums and other landmarks primarily in Southern states where activists challenged segregation in the 1950s and 1960s to advance social justice, according to the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
The Lorraine Hotel houses National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo by Jeff Adkins/Tennessee Home & Farm
These are the 10 Tennessee sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail:
- National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, Memphis
- Clayborn Temple, Memphis
- Mason Temple Church of God in Christ, Memphis
- The Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library, Nashville
- Clark Memorial United Methodist Church, Nashville
- Davidson County Courthouse & the Witness Walls, Nashville
- Woolworth on 5th, Nashville
- Fisk University, Nashville
- Griggs Hall at American Baptist College, Nashville
- The Green McAdoo Cultural Center and Clinton 12 statues
To learn more, visit tncivilrightstrail.com.
What is the process to add sites to the Civil
Rights Trail?
Hi Jo Ann, I’m not sure, but you can reach out to the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development at https://www.tnvacation.com/contact to learn more. Hope this helps!