written by: @Samaya.Rn
The Equal Justice Initiative has been taking huge strides lately.
In 2018, the organization, which is a non-profit “dedicated to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment,” opened the National Museum for Peace & Justice, alongside the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration. In 2019, the organization followed up with the Peace & Justice Memorial Center, to further highlight its longstanding initiative to challenge racial and economic injustice and to protect basic human rights
But, this past weekend, EJI has upped the ante once again and expanded the museum, opening its Legacy Pavilion in Montgomery, AL ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Legacy Pavilion will stand as the first monument in the United States to honor victims who were lynched immediately after the Civil War and Reconstruction period. It will tell the story of how Montgomery played a role in the Civil Rights movement.
The memorial honors over 2,000 men, women, and children who were lynched as well as includes honorable exhibits of Civil Rights heroes like: Martin Luther King, Jr, E.D. Nixon, and Rosa Parks.
According to WFSA-12, 650,000 visits have graced the sites since April 2019.
The Legacy Pavilion will also serve as a gift shop, cafeteria, and ticket office for the museum.
“We’re excited to add a wonderful new space to our memorial and museum that will provide more convenience, comfort, and food to the thousands of people who continue to visit the sites,” the Equal Justice Initiative said in a statement, according to CNN.
