Georgia company gives $500K to help expand civil rights center in Atlanta

The museum and cultural organization is focused on connecting civil rights history to the present day. Exhibits at the center feature the U.S. civil rights movement and human rights movements for global marginalized groups, including people of color, women, immigrants, people with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community.

“If the arc of the moral universe is going to bend toward justice, we must pull together,” said Jill Savitt, CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, in a prepared statement. “These partnerships — these commitments — are what drive our mission forward and ensure that the Center remains a powerful force for truth, transformation and progress.”

Credit: Courtesy of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

Credit: Courtesy of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

Kristin Wong, Norfolk Southern community impact director, said the gift reflects the company’s belief in community, education and advocacy.

“We look forward to seeing how these enhanced spaces will inspire visitors and deepen the understanding of civil rights history,” Wong said.

The Norfolk Southern gift comes on the heels of Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority’s announcement that it would donate $10 million to the center.

This center is scheduled to reopen in the fall with a celebratory ribbon-cutting event.

The existing $75 million, 42,000-square-foot Center for Civil and Human Rights, opened in 2014. It was built with private and public money, and sits in the heart of Atlanta’s growing tourist corridor alongside the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, the College Football Hall of Fame and Centennial Olympic Park.