BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Many Louisiana state leaders and historians have spent the last 20 years gathering information that would become a museum dedicated to a revolutionary moment in American History.
Located inside the Convention Center in New Orleans, natives and tourists will find pieces of Louisiana’s history for people to discover.
“To be able to capture those stories, while many of those people are still alive, to tell the story in their words, is pretty incredible,” said Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser.
It took one vision and a team of people to create an experience that teaches and honors the state’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.
“We got a lot of great things in Louisiana but I don’t think we have a Civil Rights Trail,” said Nungesser.
Millions of dollars were invested in this project. Highlighting marches, boycotts and other movements that Nungesser said Alabama and Mississippi took credit for.
“We wanted to make sure that we used all the money to make it a wow factor. So partnered with the convention center where we didn’t have to build a building and maintain it was a natural fit,” said Nungesser.
Part of that “wow factor” includes historical figures coming to life.
One of the main attractions that you’ll find inside the museum is the “Dream Cube”. It’s created using A.I. technology to give each visitor an immersive and unique experience putting them right in the middle of history.
“You walk in that cube and you can talk to those little girls, all that in the school, or you can look to the left and be in the march from Bogalusa to Baton Rouge as a young talking about that hot day, marching over 100 miles to Baton Rouge,” said Nungesser.
“If that doesn’t give you goosebumps and put a chill in your spine, nothing will,” said Nungesser.
As tourists move through the museum, they’ll notice it’s broken into three sections to magnify major components of the Civil Rights Movement: the right to vote, the right to education and the right to assemble.
“It’s something first off, we didn’t learn in school. It’s recognizing some heroes, some brave men and women who stood up in that time. It tells a story,” said Nungesser.
Other civil rights advocates also want to encourage both Louisianans and tourists to learn about the history, challenges and growth in the Pelican state.
“People know New Orleans. People know Louisiana. We should not have to go to museums in other states to learn about our heritage,” said Brenda Brent Williams, the Civil Rights Museum Advisory Board President.
Nungesser said this is the inaugural experience. They hope to expand soon and make this even bigger and better.
“People need to get out and see it for themselves. It’s something that a story that should have been told a long time ago,” said Nungesser.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for kids. School groups are free and military discounts are offered.
For tickets or more information, visit the Louisiana Civil Rights Museum website.
