National Memorial for Peace and Justice

National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is a memorial to the victims of lynching and racial terror in the United States, located in Montgomery, Alabama, near the Alabama State Capitol and the First White House of the Confederacy. It was founded by Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard University-educated lawyer and civil rights activist, who is also the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. The memorial is situated on a six-acre site overlooking the Alabama River and is part of a larger complex that includes the Legacy Museum.

● History

The idea for the National Memorial for Peace and Justice was conceived by Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative in 2010, as part of a larger effort to document and memorialize the history of lynching and racial terror in the United States. The project was inspired by the work of Ida B. Wells, a journalist and civil rights activist who documented the horrors of lynching in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and W.E.B. Du Bois, a sociologist and civil rights activist who wrote about the impact of racism on African American communities. The memorial was built on a site that was once a slave warehouse and is near the location of a former lynching site, where John Lee and Jesse Thornton were lynched in 1886. The memorial's construction was supported by donations from individuals and organizations, including the Ford Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations.

● Design and Construction

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice was designed by Mass Design Group, a Boston-based architecture firm, in collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative and other partners. The memorial features a series of steel monuments, each representing a county in the United States where a lynching took place, and is surrounded by a garden and a walkway that allows visitors to reflect on the history of racial terror in the United States. The memorial's design was influenced by the work of Maya Lin, a sculptor and architect who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Isamu Noguchi, a sculptor and landscape architect who designed the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The construction of the memorial was managed by Brasfield & Gorrie, a Birmingham, Alabama-based construction company, and was completed in 2018.

● Features and Exhibits

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice features a series of exhibits and installations that tell the story of lynching and racial terror in the United States. The memorial includes a museum that features artifacts and documents related to the history of lynching, including a reproduction of a lynching photograph taken by James Allen, a photographer who documented the horrors of lynching in the early 20th century. The memorial also includes a garden and a walkway that features quotes from civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X. The memorial's exhibits were curated by the Equal Justice Initiative in collaboration with historians and curators from museums and universities across the United States, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the University of Alabama.

● Significance and Impact

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice has been recognized as a significant contribution to the civil rights movement and the effort to confront and overcome the legacy of racism in the United States. The memorial has been visited by thousands of people, including civil rights leaders, politicians, and celebrities, and has been recognized with awards and honors from organizations such as the American Institute of Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The memorial has also been the subject of articles and reviews in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, and has been featured in documentaries and films such as 13th and Just Mercy. The memorial's significance and impact have been recognized by leaders such as Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, and Angela Davis, who have all spoken about the importance of confronting and overcoming the legacy of racism in the United States.

● Visitor Information

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is open to the public and offers tours and exhibits that tell the story of lynching and racial terror in the United States. The memorial is located at 417 Columbus Street in Montgomery, Alabama, and is within walking distance of the Alabama State Capitol and the First White House of the Confederacy. The memorial is open Monday through Sunday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and offers guided tours and self-guided tours of the exhibits and installations. The memorial also offers educational programs and community events that are designed to promote dialogue and understanding about the history of racism in the United States, and has partnered with organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the NAACP to promote social justice and human rights. Visitors to the memorial can also visit the nearby Legacy Museum, which features exhibits and installations that tell the story of slavery, lynching, and mass incarceration in the United States.