The National Center for Civil and Human Rights has announced a new partnership and substantial pledge amount from a prominent railroad company in Atlanta.
Earlier this month, the center announced that it is the recipient of a $500,000 pledge from Norfolk Southern in support of the center’s 24,000-square-foot expansion, which began in March 2024.
“At Norfolk Southern, we believe in the power of community, education, and advocacy,” said Kristin Wong, Norfolk Southern’s community impact director, in a recent press release. “We look forward to seeing how these enhanced spaces will inspire visitors and deepen the understanding of civil rights history.”
“We were founded to help people understand history’s relevance in our present time, and Norfolk Southern’s commitment allows us to bring that mission to life in meaningful new ways,” said Jill Savitt, CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, adding that the partnership will add an “even more powerful space for education, dialogue, and action.”
Founded in 2014, the center has become well known for its dive into exploring the history of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s, as well as global human rights issues affecting women, racial minorities and LGBTQ people.
The two-wing expansion will offer classrooms, additional exhibits and event spaces alongside the museum’s current attractions.
The East Wing will span one story and offer meeting spaces for classrooms, performances, events and training. The roof will also be available to the public, providing outdoor event space and an upcoming ticketed experience.
The three-story West Wing will feature a cafe and three new galleries. A family gallery on the lobby level for children aged 12 and under will offer “immersive, hands-on experiences to inspire interest in rights and justice for a new generation.”
Popular exhibits are also expected to be expanded, including the museum’s lunch counter sit-in experience, a simulation that places visitors into the point of view of nonviolent protestors during the Civil Rights Movement.
Founded in 1827, Norfolk Southern is one of the six largest railroads in North America, operating a 22-state freight transportation network that delivers approximately 7 million carloads annually.
The company has come into controversy in recent years after a crash in February 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio, spilled toxic chemicals and set fire throughout the town. The incident was considered one of the worst railway accidents of the past decade and shined a national spotlight on railroad safety.
In January, the company East Palestine and Norfolk announced a $22 million settlement resolving all of the village’s claims arising from the accident.
The center states that Norfolk’s contribution secures naming for the Freedom Room, one of three new classrooms that will be featured in the Shirley Clarke Franklin Pavilion, the new wing on the facility’s east side.
Closed since Jan. 1 of this year, the facility is anticipated to reopen this fall with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Savitt states that the collaboration with Norfolk will assist in helping the NCCHR maintain its spot as the “leading cultural institution for civil and human rights education and engagement.”
“If the arc of the moral universe is going to bend toward justice, we must pull together,” the CEO stated. “These partnerships — these commitments — are what drive our mission forward and ensure that the Center remains a powerful force for truth, transformation, and progress.”
