January 7, 2022

THE LEGACY MUSEUM: FROM ENSLAVEMENT TO MASS INCARCERATION

400 N Court St, Montgomery, AL 36104

“The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration is a museum in Montgomery, Alabama, that displays the history of slavery and racism in America. This includes the enslavement of African-Americans, racial lynchings, segregation, and racial bias.” Wikipedia

I will not be able to justly describe this museum. 

This state-of-the-art museum almost overloads you with stimuli while telling the story of slavery in this country and the consequences that have followed, either directly or indirectly.  I spent a solid 1.5+ hours trying to take in as much as I could.  Besides facts and quotes written on the walls, there are video screens using a multitude of styles to tell stories.  One truly impactful area was a representation of slave cells. As you walked by a cell, a hologram of the person inside the cell started talking to you.  The cell with the young boy and girl asking if I had seen their parents almost overwhelmed me.  From slavery the exhibits moved to Reconstruction, the Jim Crow laws and segregation, to racial bias in our court system.  As I said, I spent 1.5+ hours perusing the museum, I estimate it would have taken 3-4 hours if I had stopped to read everything and watch all the videos.    I felt the museum did an excellent job of giving facts and telling stories without being judgmental. I had so many emotions as I walked out of the building, which I’m sure is the intent of the museum.

To my dismay no photography was allowed inside the museum.

If you are ever in the Montgomery, AL, area you need to check out the Legacy Museum.