ABOUT US
The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute was organized and developed by participants and supporters of the Voting Rights Movement of the 1960's to document accomplishments and struggles of those Americans dedicated to the attainment and retention of equal treatment under the law for all Americans. The struggle to gain voting rights did not begin or end at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama on March 7, 1965; it began with the birth of our nation and continues today in efforts to remove all barriers to voting. The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute, the only facility of its kind in the world, opened its doors in 1993, as a permanent memorial to the struggle to obtain voting rights for disenfranchised African Americans. The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve and display artifacts and exhibits, which document and portray the history of voting rights in America.
Among the many historical exhibits, visitors will get a taste of artifacts as they are taken through the "Footprints to Freedom" room. This room includes molded cast footprints of many who marched from Selma to Montgomery. The "Selma Room," also known as the "Marie Foster" room is where visitors view such items as voting records, worn clothes of persons beaten during the march and a host of photos. The Women's Suffrage Room houses the largely unknown contributions of African American women who secured the voting rights for half the population. The Living History Exhibit is dedicated to those who served as foot soldiers/participants in the voting rights activity in Alabama, and an "I Was There" wall exhibit allows Museum visitors to contribute historical notes that echo their particular involvement. Serving over 1,000,000 people since its inception, these graphic visual exhibits document the struggles and triumphs of African Americans on the journey toward freedom for all Americans.
Voting is the cornerstone of the democratic society of which we all take part. It is one o1 the most important gains acquired during the Civil Rights Movement. The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute offers America and the world the opportunity to learn the lessons of the past to assure we will not make the same mistakes in the 21st century. There is no one place where the past and present struggles and future possibilities can be studied, felt, and remembered like that of the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute. Therefore, our purpose is our mission: A Museum and Institute that chronicles and preserves the historical journey for the right to vote that began when the seeds ol democracy were first planted by the "founding fathers" in 1776. As such, the struggle for justice and democracy is a never-ending one. Each generation will have its barriers to overcome and its stories to share. The Museum is committed to collecting and sharing these stories, struggles, and victories for generations to come.
Though the Voting Rights Struggle is rich in memorabilia and documentation, the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute plays an intricate role in enhancng the knowledge of the public through the following:
- Black Belt Heritage Tours
- Personal Collection Exhibits
- Living History Projects
- Community Forums
The primary purpose of The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute is to design and create a repository
of source materials on American history during the Voting Rights Struggle.
1 AS A MUSEUM, we exhibit materials and artifacts from the voting rights struggle in America, especially those that highlight the experiences which fueled "Bloody Sunday: and the Selma to Montgomery March.
2 AS AN INSTITUTE, we provide research forums, community action, and issue presentatons that impact or support voting rights issues in America.
