CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL & CENTER

The memorial, located in front of the museum, is a black granite fountain in circular shape. The 40 names of victims for the civil rights engraved therein are relentlessly covered by a water net. This memorial is the work of the American artist Maya Lin.

On the wall behind the memorial, the words of Martin Luther King can be read: " Wait justice rolls down down like waters and righteousness like mighty stream. " They were taken from his speech of August 28, 1963 in Washington, when he said about segregation: " No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied waited for justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like mighty stream. " What means: " No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied as long as law does not flow like water and justice like an inexhaustible torrent. '»»»»

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a non-profit organization working for civil rights and fighting hatred and fanaticism. Founded in 1971 by civil rights lawyers Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr., the SPLC is internationally known for monitoring and highlighting the activities of hate groups. It is based in Montgomery and has offices in Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami and Jackson (Mississippi). Inside the centre there is a permanent exhibition on the civil rights martyrs, an auditorium and the wall of tolerance (Wall of Tolerance). The latter is a huge wall on which the names of more than half a million people are digitally displayed to take a stand against hatred, and to advocate justice and tolerance in their daily lives. Visitors can make the same commitment by adding their names on the wall.