National Memorial for Peace and Justice facts for kids
The memorial includes 805 hanging steel rectangles, representing each of the counties in the United States where a documented lynching took place
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| Coordinates | 32°22′19″N 86°18′46″W / 32.37194°N 86.31278°W |
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| Location | Montgomery, Alabama |
| Opening date | April 26, 2018 |
| Equal Justice Initiative | |
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is a special place that remembers the many Black people who were victims of lynching in the United States. It helps us understand past racial unfairness and encourages everyone to work for fairness in America today. The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a non-profit group, created this memorial. It opened in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 26, 2018.
The memorial has a large square with 805 steel rectangles hanging down. Each rectangle stands for a county in the United States where a lynching was officially recorded. The site also features sculptures that show different parts of racial violence and the fight for justice.
Many people, including art experts and activists, have praised the memorial. Philip Kennicott from The Washington Post called it "one of the most powerful and effective new memorials created in a generation."
Contents
Why This Memorial Was Built
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice was built by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). It sits on a six-acre piece of land in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. The memorial opened on April 26, 2018.
It is connected to The Legacy Museum, which opened on the same day. This museum is near where enslaved people were once sold in Montgomery. EJI hopes the memorial will inspire communities to learn about past racial injustice.
Remembering History and Today's Challenges
The memorial helps us remember the history of racial terror lynchings. It also highlights racial segregation and unfair laws from the past. But it also connects to current issues, like unfairness in the justice system and police actions.
The six-acre site includes amazing sculptures and displays. Artists like Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, Dana King, and Hank Willis Thomas created these works. You can also read powerful words from writers like Toni Morrison and Elizabeth Alexander. There are also quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A quiet space honors Ida B. Wells, a brave journalist.
The Heart of the Memorial: Steel Beams
The biggest part of the memorial is the main square. It was designed based on EJI's study, Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror. This study looked into thousands of lynchings.
The memorial has 805 steel beams hanging in the air. Each six-foot beam represents a county where a racial terror lynching happened. The beams are engraved with the names of victims and where they were killed. If a victim's name is unknown, the beam still remembers them.
Community Remembrance Project
The memorial also has copies of these steel beams placed on the ground. These are part of EJI's Community Remembrance Project. EJI encourages communities to claim their beam and create their own local memorials. This helps people learn about their local history of racial violence.
The memorial complex cost about $20 million to build. This money came from private groups. Bryan Stevenson, who started EJI, was inspired by other memorials. He saw the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Germany and the Apartheid Museum in South Africa. He wanted to create a similar place to remember victims of white supremacy in the United States.
Studying a Difficult Past
EJI's study, Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror, was a long investigation. Researchers looked at records across the United States. They found almost 4,400 racial terror lynchings between 1877 and 1950. Most of these happened in the Southern states.
This research helped start important conversations about racial violence. When a small error was found on a beam after the memorial opened, EJI quickly corrected it. This showed their commitment to accuracy.
Exploring the Memorial's Design
At the center of the memorial is a square with 805 hanging steel rectangles. They are shaped like coffins. These rectangles list the names of counties and states where lynchings happened. They also show the names of documented victims, or "unknown" if the name is not known.
Many visitors have said that from a distance, the hanging beams look like a forest of bodies. The replica beams on the ground look like rows of coffins. More than 4,075 documented lynchings of Black people happened between 1877 and 1950. Most were in 12 Southern states. This memorial is the first major place in the country to name and honor these victims.
Rise Up by Hank Willis Thomas
The central memorial was designed by MASS Design Group. Hank Willis Thomas created a sculpture called Rise Up. It shows statues of Black heads and bodies coming out of a wall. Their arms are raised as if in surrender. This artwork makes you focus and see the people it represents. It also comments on police actions that have happened in recent years. Thomas says his art asks important questions.
Places for Reflection
Outside the main monument, there are benches where visitors can sit and think. These benches honor activists like journalist Ida B. Wells. In the 1890s, she bravely reported that lynchings were often about economic competition, not just crimes.
On the ground, there are steel columns laid out in rows. These match the ones hanging in the memorial. These columns are meant to be temporary. The Equal Justice Initiative asks communities to claim their column. They want communities to create their own local memorials to lynching victims. This helps people learn about their local history. EJI hopes these local monuments will remind communities to face their painful past. They also want them to challenge unfairness today and promise never to repeat the violence.
A month after the memorial opened, the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper reported that Montgomery County was thinking about asking for its column. City and county officials were discussing it.
Art and Stories at the Memorial
Nkyinkyim by Kwame Akoto-Bamfo
The memorial journey starts by telling the story of African Americans. Visitors first see a sculpture by Ghanaian artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo called Nkyinkyim. This word means "twisted" and refers to a Ghanaian saying, "life is a twisted journey."
The sculpture shows seven shackled figures of different ages and genders. They are linked together. This artwork is part of a bigger project by Akoto-Bamfo. He creates clay busts of formerly enslaved people to remember their lives. This is a tradition of the Akan people in Ghana. During the Middle Passage, enslaved people lost their names and identities. Akoto-Bamfo's sculptures give them back their identities. He gives them backgrounds like "Daughter of a Royal" or "The Lost Guardian."
Guided by Justice by Dana King
American artist Dana King created Guided by Justice. This sculpture shows the Montgomery Bus Boycott during the Civil Rights Movement. It features three women: a grandmother, a teacher, and a pregnant woman.
Footprints on the ground near them invite others to join their cause. King's sculpture helps us remember that many ordinary Black people were important to the bus boycott's success. It's not just about famous figures like Rosa Parks. The three anonymous figures and the footprints show the importance of these "silent activists."
Raise Up by Hank Willis Thomas
The memorial journey continues with Hank Willis Thomas's sculpture Raise Up. This artwork shows policing in America. It features ten Black men, partly covered in concrete. Some have their heads lowered, with their hands up and eyes closed.
This sculpture powerfully shows the experiences of Black men when they meet law enforcement. The concrete makes them seem unable to move. Their visible hands remind us of stories where unarmed Black men were harmed by police. The National Memorial uses Thomas’s sculpture to connect to today's world. It reminds us that the fight for justice is still happening.
Why Montgomery is Important
Before the 1990s, Montgomery did not focus much on the history of slavery and racism. The city had many monuments related to the Confederacy. But now, the city has a Civil Rights trail. It marks events like the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. It also points out places linked to slavery.
With the memorial's opening, The New York Times named Montgomery its Top 2018 Destination. Lee Sentell from the Alabama Department of Tourism said the memorial offers a different, sometimes difficult, experience. He noted it tells a part of American history that has not been faced so directly before. Mayor Todd Strange felt the memorial offered "our nation's best chance at reconciliation."
A Place for Learning and Tourism
The opening events in May 2018 brought thousands of people to Montgomery. Famous artists like Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, and Usher performed. Speakers included U.S. Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis. The Montgomery Advertiser, a major Alabama newspaper, apologized for its past reporting on lynchings. They called it "our shame" and admitted they "were wrong."
The memorial and its museum are expected to bring more visitors to Montgomery. This type of travel, called "dark tourism," focuses on places with sad or difficult histories. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that Montgomery and Atlanta together now tell a full story of African-American history. Atlanta has sites related to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Tourism officials thought the memorial might bring 100,000 extra visitors each year.
The Legacy Museum
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The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration opened on the same day as the outdoor memorial. This museum shows the history of slavery and racism in America. It also focuses on how racial inequality still affects the justice system today.
The museum features art by Hank Willis Thomas, Glenn Ligon, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Titus Kaphar, and Sanford Biggers. One display shows soil collected from lynching sites across the United States. This is part of EJI's Community Remembrance Project. This exhibit shows how slavery, lynchings, and unfairness affected people across many states. The 11,000-square-foot museum includes personal stories, old documents, and interactive displays.
Images for kids
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Outside view of the memorial
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Steel columns intended for each county
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National Memorial for Peace and Justice Center
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National Memorial for Peace and Justice Garden
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See also
- List of lynching victims in the United States
- List of museums focused on African Americans
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Topography of Terror, a museum in Berlin dedicated to the victims of the Nazi regime
