Newspaper accounts depict the civil rights struggle on the second floor of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights Tuesday, June 10, 2014, in Atlanta. The center opens June 23 after almost 10 years of preparations. David Tulis / AJC Special
In the Atlanta Civil Rights museum's depictions of the fight for civil rights in America, visitors see films of police dogs attacking protesters, a wall-sized photo of a baby-faced Emmett Till, a life-size re-creation of a Freedom Rider bus, covered with portraits of actual Freedom Riders. Some of the photographs are interactive, and can trigger a short audio narrative.
The most dramatic installation is an interactive lunch counter at which guests don headphones and experience a simulation of a sit-in during the 1960s. Taped voices level threats, and a vibrating jolt can give the impression that someone has just kicked the visitor’s chair. It is unnerving.
About the Author
