Equal Justice Initiative announces expanded Legacy Museum in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The new and expanded Legacy Museum is opening this week in Alabama, the Equal Justice Initiative announced.

WSFA reported The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration will open Friday in downtown Montgomery. Free admission will be offered through Sunday.

After opening weekend, EJI says access to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum can be purchased in a single ticket costing $5.

The new Legacy Museum, according to EJI, provides visitors with a comprehensive history of the United States with a focus on the legacy of slavery. It presents exhibits and information about the Transatlantic Slave Trade, a detailed examination of Reconstruction and an expanded set of exhibits on the civil rights era.

Bryan Stevenson, the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, says the museum is located on the site of a former cotton warehouse where enslaved people were forced to labor in bondage. Stevenson says the city’s history makes it an ideal location for the museum.

Lynchings, codified racial segregation, and the emergence of over-incarceration in the 20th Century are examined in-depth and brought to life through film, images, and first-person narratives inside the museum’s new exhibits.

“We believe that understanding our nation’s past is critical to finding a way forward on a range of contemporary issues. We’re proud that the Legacy Museum can play a vital role in helping people learn American history that’s often not taught and empower everyone to build healthier communities,” said Bryan Stevenson, EJI’s Executive Director.

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