Reserve Your Ticket. Free
Join us as we commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and celebrate the women who have shaped the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and beyond!
From the 1880s to today, women have held a powerful role in advocating for civil rights. Learn the stories of women who made great change in our city and beyond, working alongside Dr. King to realize his dream for a more just society through education, government, the arts, and more.
Guests will have the opportunity to participate in civil rights-themed trivia, kids’ activities, specially curated exhibits, panel discussions, and more.
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Our new permanent 5,000 square-foot interactive children’s exhibit will have opened on January 11th, and we will be offering 20-minute timed experiences where young visitors can explore Atlanta’s history through interactive play, hands-on activities, and immersive storytelling.
Discover the adventures of the past in a dynamic space designed to spark curiosity and imagination!
MLK Day attendees will be able to reserve a 20-minute timed experience upon arrival.
Recommended for ages 0-8 years old.
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Button Making, Ongoing
Take part in the activism of King Day by designing and creating your very own button to take home!
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Coloring Activities, Ongoing
Express your creativity with “She Shall Not Be Moved”-themed coloring sheets!
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Family Trivia, 12-1pm
From 12-1pm, show off your knowledge of Civil Rights songs, people, and history! Everyone can compete to win fun prizes.
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Gatheround Self-Guided Experience, Ongoing
Use our Gatheround Exhibit to experience a curated series of artifacts highlighting Atlanta women who made a difference in the fight for equality. This self-guided experience covers Atlanta history from the 1880s to today!
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Atlanta '96 Exhibit: Women Who Changed the Game, Ongoing
Solve interactive puzzles featuring influential Black women throughout sports history.
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Kenan Research Center Pop Up Experience, Ongoing
The Kenan Research Center Pop Up Experience exposes guests to the multitude of resources including a book display and research information.
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King Family Women's Hat Exhibit, Ongoing
Atlanta History Center, in collaboration with the Christine King Farris Legacy Foundation, Inc. and members of the King Family, is proud to announce the debut of the King Family Women’s Hat Exhibit, opening Saturday, January 18, as part of the Center’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The 17 hats on display explore the legacy of the African American church hat tradition through the lens of the influential women of the King family. The King Family Women’s Hat Exhibit will rotate in July 2025, featuring different hats, offering visitors a dynamic experience throughout its year-long display.
From 2-3pm, join us for a compelling conversation with Morehouse College’s Dr. Vicki Crawford and Senior Georgia State Court Judge Brenda Cole, as they discuss the impactful role of women in the Civil Rights Movement and Judge Cole’s personal experience in the Atlanta Student Movement. This panel will be moderated by Atlanta History Center’s very own, La’Neice Littleton, Ph.D., Director of Community Collaborations.
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Vicki L. Crawford, Ph.D.
Vicki Crawford is Executive Director of the Office of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection and Endowed Chair, Civil and Human Rights. As Executive Director, she has oversight of an archive consisting of over 13,000 writings belonging to Dr. King. In this role, she develops campus-based programs and community initiatives that advance the teachings and philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. More recently, she received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for a series of activities to incorporate primary documents from the collection into humanities teaching.
Dr. Crawford is a civil rights scholar whose groundbreaking volume of essays, Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Trailblazers and Torchbearers (1993) was one of the first publications to address the under-researched role of women in the African American freedom struggle. Currently, she is general editor of the Morehouse College King Collection Series on Civil and Human Rights published by the University of Georgia Press as well as co-editor of Reclaiming the Great World House: The Global Vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2019. Dr. Crawford received a Ph.D. degree from Emory University in American Studies and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library at Harvard University along with a two-year post-doctoral program in the Department of History at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She is a graduate of Spelman College.
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Judge Brenda Cole
Brenda Hill Cole was Valedictorian of her class at Weldon High School, Gladewater, Texas, in 1959. She received the B.A. degree from Spelman College in 1963 where she majored in English and minored in French. She was an honor student, participated in the Atlanta Student Movement, sang in the Spelman Glee Club, served as Vice President of the Student Government, and was an exchange student at Connecticut College for one semester.
She received a Masters in Library Science degree from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) in 1967 and worked as a Librarian at Georgia State University and Atlanta University before attending law school at Emory University School of Law. She received her J.D. degree from Emory in 1977 and served as Assistant Attorney General with the Georgia State Law Department for 5 years.
Her late husband, Dr. Thomas Cole, Jr., was named President of Clark College and President of Atlanta University in 1987 and was the Founding President of Clark Atlanta University. In 1990, as First Lady of Clark Atlanta, she organized the first public recognition of the Atlanta Student Movement in the City of Atlanta, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Movement and its Student Leaders.
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Chick-fil-A
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Parking
Free parking is located on Atlanta History Center’s campus, 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30305. Ridesharing is encouraged as we anticipate high attendance and parking is limited.
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MARTA
MARTA bus route 110 stops along Peachtree Road, approximately 15 minutes walking distance from Atlanta History Center.
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Wheelchair Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available upon request, while supplies last. Our campus is ADA-compliant.
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Cost
This event is free; registration is highly encouraged to expedite check-in.
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Sensory-Friendly Space
A quiet place with kids’ activity packets and books, along with restroom access.
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Nursing Room
A private room for nursing parents, located next to the Sensory-Friendly Space.
Reserve Your Ticket. Free
Family Resources
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Meet the phenomenal women of the Civil Rights Movement and learn how their work sparked real change! Reflect on their lives and be inspired to make an impact in your own community.
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Explore movements in Atlanta through phenomenal women and their impacts on the city. From the Washing Society to Roslyn Pope, follow their footsteps and uncover how they changed the world around them.
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Encounter the legacies of impactful women within the family of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., through the hats they wore. Investigate the histories of these items through matching and storytelling!
Listen to a breakdown of the celebration by Dr. La'Neice Littleton, Atlanta History Center's Director of Community Collaborations, interviewed by WCLK's Local Take with Kiplyn Primus.
Judge Brenda Cole and Dr. La'Neice Littleton discuss women in the civil rights era on City Lights with Lois Reitzes.