An idea from the movement
The Center was conceived by figures from the civil rights movement, among them Evelyn Lowery, Juanita Abernathy, Andrew Young and John Lewis, as a place to tell the story of the American civil rights movement alongside the worldwide movement for human rights.
A design for Pemberton Place
A design by Philip Freelon, working with HOK, was chosen in 2009. The Coca-Cola Company donated 2.5 acres at Pemberton Place, beside the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola and Centennial Olympic Park, and ground was broken on 27 June 2012.
Opened in 2014
The museum opened to the public on 23 June 2014. It displays items from the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection, and a renovation in 2025 added six galleries.



