A powerful new historical exhibition titled “Broken Promises” has opened at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, offering museum visitors an immersive look at the Reconstruction Era and how early efforts to build a multiracial democracy in the United States were met with both progress and intense resistance.
The permanent gallery focuses on the period following the Civil War, a time when nearly four million formerly enslaved Black Americans pursued citizenship rights, organized schools, elected political leaders, and reshaped civic life throughout the South. At the same time, the exhibition highlights the violent backlash and systemic repression that followed, including episodes of racial terror, political disenfranchisement, and the rise of segregationist laws that reversed many advances.
Curators designed the gallery around the narrative of anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells, using her perspective to guide visitors through key events in cities including Wilmington, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. In each of these communities, periods of Black achievement led to backlash resulting in massacres and lasting racial terror, underscoring the fragility of the era’s reforms.
The exhibition incorporates significant historical artifacts, including items from collections documenting racial violence, to deepen public understanding of how tools of terror and intimidation shaped societal outcomes. A memorial segment of the gallery honors victims of lynching, including figures such as Mary Turner, whose legacy reflects both personal tragedy and collective memory.
Museum leadership emphasized that the story of Reconstruction is not linear but reflects a cycle of progress and regression that continues to influence American society today. By presenting this history alongside modern parallels, the exhibit encourages reflection on civil rights, reform, and resistance across generations.
The opening of the “Broken Promises” gallery is part of a larger expansion of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, positioning the museum as a vital educational and cultural institution in Atlanta and beyond. Organizers say the exhibition invites visitors to engage critically with the legacies of Reconstruction and consider how issues of equity and justice remain relevant in contemporary discourse.
