Hawks to host Breaking Barriers: Sports for Change exhibit

The Breaking Barriers exhibit will move to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights for another stay. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

The Breaking Barriers exhibit will move to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights for another stay. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Philips Arena will host a preview of the Breaking Barriers: Sports for Change exhibition for several weeks before it moves to the Atlanta’s National Center for Civil and Human Rights through November.

The exhibition chronicles the “extraordinary stories of how athletes are using the common language of sports to open doors, challenge biases and ensure fair treatment for all.” The traveling exhibit was designed by ESPN and the Center. It made its debut at the ESPY Awards and Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards in Los Angeles this summer.

The 800 square foot exhibit will start on Monday for the Hawks’ Unity Game exhibition against the Cavaliers and be located in the arena’s Philips Experience. It will remain at Philips Arena through Nov. 12. It will then be moved to the Center through Nov. 30.

“The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is honored to bring this labor of love with ESPN to our city. Its debut comes at a time when people need to be reminded that voices can be heard and that change can be made,” Derreck Kayongo, CEO for the Center for Civil and Human Rights, said in a statement. “Thank you to the Atlanta Hawks for continuing the dialogue and for their support in spreading the message of unity.”