|
 In
the 1960s, as the United States emerged as a global model of wealth
and democracy, an estimated 25 million Americans lived in poverty.
"Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People’s Campaign" tells the story of
thousands of people who built and inhabited a 15-acre “city of hope”
on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for nearly six weeks to
call attention to the crippling effects of poverty in America.
As a multiethnic movement that included African Americans, Mexican
Americans, Native Americans, Puerto Ricans, Asians and poor whites
from Appalachia and rural communities, the protest attracted
demonstrators nationwide. The campaign leaders presented demands to
Congress, including demands for jobs, living wages and access to
land, capital and health care. It was the first large-scale,
nationally organized demonstration after the death of Martin Luther
King, Jr.
The protest site was called Resurrection City and included planned
space for housing, a cultural center, city hall, a theater stage,
essential services, and facilities for food and dining, sanitation,
communications, education, medical and dental care, and childcare.
The “Solidarity Now” exhibition features a 3D map of
Resurrection City, photographs, oral histories with campaign
participants and organizers, and an array of protest signs,
political buttons and audio field recordings collected during the
campaign.
“We are proud to bring this important national tour to Illinois for
the first time,” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “Part of our
mission is to inspire civic engagement and we look forward to seeing
how this exhibit sparks conversations about human rights and
economic equality.”
The exhibition opens May 17 and runs through August 18 in the
museum’s Illinois Gallery and is free with regular museum admission.
"Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People’s Campaign" is
organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition
Service (SITES) and the National Museum of African American History
and Culture.
The exhibition is supported by the CVS Health
Foundation, a private foundation created by CVS Health to help
people live healthier lives.
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About SITES and Smithsonian Affiliations
The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and
Smithsonian Affiliations are critical national outreach units at the
Smithsonian Institution. For more than 70 years, SITES has been
connecting Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a
wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history.
Smithsonian Affiliations establishes and maintains the Smithsonian’s
long-term partnerships with museums, educational organizations, and
cultural institutions in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Panama.
Together, SITES and Affiliations share the Smithsonian's vast
resources with millions of people outside Washington, D.C. Visit
sites.si.edu and affiliations.si.edu for more information.
About the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Since opening Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African
American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., has welcomed more
than 7 million visitors. The nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is
the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination
devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting, and showcasing the
African American story and its impact on American and world history.
For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu and
follow @NMAAHC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois
history and sharing with the world the life and legacy of Abraham
Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous
scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the
ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – roughly 13
million items from all eras of Illinois history.
For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.
[Christopher Wills (he/him/his)
Director of Communications
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum] |
