Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, Civil rights museum in Savannah, United States.
The Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum documents the African American experience in Savannah across three floors with photographs, objects, and detailed exhibitions. The spaces show everyday life under segregation and the struggles for equality in this community.
The building opened in 1914 as the Wage Earners Savings Bank, one of the largest African American financial institutions at that time. It later became a museum to preserve this banking heritage and the civil rights movement that took place in the city.
The museum honors how local activists and ordinary people worked together to challenge segregation in their neighborhoods. Visitors encounter stories of sit-ins and demonstrations that became turning points for the entire community.
The museum sits on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the downtown area and is easy to locate. Visitors should allow several hours to explore the three floors and engage with the exhibits.
The museum houses the Eloria S Gilbert Archives, containing handwritten sermons and personal letters from Reverend Gilbert, who led Savannah's NAACP chapter for many years. These original documents offer a rare glimpse into the personal lives of the activists who drove this movement forward.
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