The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia has reopened following a $57.9 million expansion.
Opened in 2014, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a museum and cultural organisation that explores human rights in the US and across the world.
The centre has expanded its footprint by 24,000 square feet to 65,000 square feet, adding six new galleries and three classrooms.
These can be found across two new wings – the Shirley Clarke Franklin Pavilion and the Arther M. Blank Inspiration Hall.
The expansion has also doubled the centre's event space capacity, with areas for community gatherings, conferences, performances and more.
Jill Savitt, president and CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, said: "Our reopening arrives at a time when understanding our shared history feels more urgent than ever."
New galleries and public spaces
She added, "This center was built to show how history speaks to the present.
"These new galleries allow people to experience both the courage of those who came before us and the call to continue their work today."
Andre Dickens, Atlanta's mayor, said the opening of the expansion "exemplifies progress and peace".
Via a statement, the reopening of the centre "comes amid a national conversation about how history is told in museums".
The statement adds that the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is privately funded, unlike the Smithsonian Institution.
The latter has been targeted by US President Donald Trump, whose administration plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the institution's exhibitions, materials and operations.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights says it remains "steadfast in its mission to share a more complete and accurate story of civil rights history, human rights challenges today".
Images courtesy of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights
