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U.S. Civil Rights Trail Expands in 2025 With Destination DC Partnership and New Historic Sites
ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, February 26, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The U.S. Civil Rights Trail has welcomed Destination DC as its newest partner, marking a significant milestone in the trail’s expansion and UNESCO World Heritage recognition efforts. As the 15th member of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance, the Washington, D.C. destination marketing organization strengthens the trail’s mission to preserve and share crucial civil rights history.
Along with the Destination DC partnership comes a new D.C. addition to the trail: The Mary McLeod Bethune Council House. This brings the number of trail sites in the District of Columbia up to six. They include the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the National Museum of African American History, the U.S. Supreme Court, and Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall, and Founders Library.
This year the trail is also welcoming two additional historic sites that highlight pivotal moments and figures in the Civil Rights Movement: the St. Augustine Beach Hotel in Florida, site of influential wade-in protests; and the Madame C.J. Walker Museum and WERDStudio in Atlanta.
- Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site in Washington, D.C. – The home served as both the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women and the final D.C. residence of Mary McLeod Bethune, a pioneering educator and civil rights activist who shaped national policy and advanced the interests of African American women.
- St. Augustine Beach Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida – Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel was the scene of significant wade-in protests in 1964 that helped accelerate the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Today, the “Waves of Change” exhibit in the former hotel preserves the powerful imagery of these demonstrations.
- Madame C.J. Walker Museum and WERDStudio in Atlanta, Georgia – Located in Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn district, the Madame C.J. Walker Museum celebrates America’s first female self-made millionaire while also housing the story of WERD, the nation’s first Black-owned and programmed radio station. Located near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home, office and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, the museum adds another dimension to the area’s rich civil rights legacy.
“The addition of Destination DC as our newest partner strengthens our pursuit of UNESCO World Heritage recognition and reinforces the national significance of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail,” said Mark Ezell, Chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance. “Adding three new historic sites, enhances the opportunity for domestic and international tourists to visit sites to reflect on the grassroots efforts that took place particularly in the 1950s and 1960s.”
Since its inception in 2018, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail has documented and preserved locations where activists challenged racial segregation in the 1950s and 1960s, connecting these historical landmarks of history across the American South and beyond. The official Washington, D.C. partnership and these new sites reinforce the trail’s historical significance and educational impact.
About the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a collection of churches, courthouses, schools, museums and other landmarks primarily in the Southern states where activists challenged segregation in the 1950s and 1960s to advance social justice. Famous sites include the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama; Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas; the Greensboro, North Carolina, Woolworth’s where sit-ins began; the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace in Atlanta, Georgia, to name a few. The people, locations and destinations included in the Civil Rights Trail provide a way for families, travelers and educators to experience history firsthand. For details about the sites and stories from civil rights pioneers, visit CivilRightsTrail.com.
Along with the Destination DC partnership comes a new D.C. addition to the trail: The Mary McLeod Bethune Council House. This brings the number of trail sites in the District of Columbia up to six. They include the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the National Museum of African American History, the U.S. Supreme Court, and Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall, and Founders Library.
This year the trail is also welcoming two additional historic sites that highlight pivotal moments and figures in the Civil Rights Movement: the St. Augustine Beach Hotel in Florida, site of influential wade-in protests; and the Madame C.J. Walker Museum and WERDStudio in Atlanta.
- Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site in Washington, D.C. – The home served as both the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women and the final D.C. residence of Mary McLeod Bethune, a pioneering educator and civil rights activist who shaped national policy and advanced the interests of African American women.
- St. Augustine Beach Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida – Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel was the scene of significant wade-in protests in 1964 that helped accelerate the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Today, the “Waves of Change” exhibit in the former hotel preserves the powerful imagery of these demonstrations.
- Madame C.J. Walker Museum and WERDStudio in Atlanta, Georgia – Located in Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn district, the Madame C.J. Walker Museum celebrates America’s first female self-made millionaire while also housing the story of WERD, the nation’s first Black-owned and programmed radio station. Located near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home, office and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, the museum adds another dimension to the area’s rich civil rights legacy.
“The addition of Destination DC as our newest partner strengthens our pursuit of UNESCO World Heritage recognition and reinforces the national significance of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail,” said Mark Ezell, Chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance. “Adding three new historic sites, enhances the opportunity for domestic and international tourists to visit sites to reflect on the grassroots efforts that took place particularly in the 1950s and 1960s.”
Since its inception in 2018, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail has documented and preserved locations where activists challenged racial segregation in the 1950s and 1960s, connecting these historical landmarks of history across the American South and beyond. The official Washington, D.C. partnership and these new sites reinforce the trail’s historical significance and educational impact.
About the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a collection of churches, courthouses, schools, museums and other landmarks primarily in the Southern states where activists challenged segregation in the 1950s and 1960s to advance social justice. Famous sites include the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama; Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas; the Greensboro, North Carolina, Woolworth’s where sit-ins began; the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace in Atlanta, Georgia, to name a few. The people, locations and destinations included in the Civil Rights Trail provide a way for families, travelers and educators to experience history firsthand. For details about the sites and stories from civil rights pioneers, visit CivilRightsTrail.com.
U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance, LLC
contact@civilrightstrail.com
U.S. Civil Rights Trail
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