I chastised veteran N&R reporter Taft Wireback for his outrage over graffiti in the greenway tunnel, but today’s front-pager on the International Civil Rights Museum is a pretty good read. It leaves it up to you, dear reader, whether or not the museum is on the right track.
However, bottom line is the museum won’t reach attendance goals even with the national exposure surrounding its opening on the 50th anniversary of the sit-in movement. Based on what I read, it seems like tall they’re thinking about are ways to run more warm bodies through the museum —like a phat downtown hotel right across the street—— than they are about quality exhibits that will attract more visitors.
However, co-founder Earl Jones has a couple of ideas:
Jones is working toward congressional approval of a U.S. Mint commemorative coin featuring the civil rights museum, which he believes could net more than $25 million and give the South Elm Street center an enduring nest egg. He has met with federal officials about the concept, but it will take several years to make happen, Jones said.
He also would like to add a display similar to those at Walt Disney World that use robotic figures. He envisions likenesses of famed civil rights leaders such as Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. giving speeches about the challenges they faced.
Again, decide for yourselves dear readers if you’d pay money to check that out.
