In 1980, the National Park Service designated the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site and Preservation District in Atlanta, Georgia. This district, in the neighborhood known as Sweet Auburn, includes: King's birth home; Ebenezer Baptist Church where King, Sr. and King, Jr. were both pastors; the Freedom Hall Complex which is the home of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change; the Prince Hall Masonic Building which houses the national offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; and many other historic places which preserve and commemorate the achievements of Dr. King and a vital community of Black families, businesses, churches, and other public institutions.
Together, the preservation district and the national historic site tell much of the history of Black urban culture in the South and provide the background for the story of the Civil Rights Movement. For additional information, the following organizations can be contacted:
The National Park Service provides extensive interpretive resources concerning the role of this national historic district in the life of Dr. King, the African American community, and the civil rights movement. A curriculum packet is available.
The Center for Nonviolent Social Change, under the direction of Coretta Scott King, carries on the nonviolent tradition of Dr. King through education, research and creative programs which operate within the permanent Program Institute of the Center. The center includes Freedom Hall, exhibit space, the library and archives housing Dr. King's papers, crypt and memorial.
The SCLC National Headquarters offers tours of its offices, maintains historic archives including many tapes of Dr. King's speeches, publishes a quarterly magazine, and administers numerous youth and student activities.
The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, has been dedicated to the memory of Dr. King and the movement to which he dedicated his life. This building now houses the National Civil Rights Museum. The museum, which opened in 1991, is a tribute to Dr. King and others, both celebrated and unknown, who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. For additional information, contact Museum Curator Barbara Andrews at 901-521-9699, or 450 Mulberry Street, Memphis, TN 38103.