The National Memorial for Peace and Justice

The most powerful experience on our road trip of the Deep South. I can’t believe this is not a more well known site up north where I’m from. Everyone going through Alabama should see this.

Located approximately a mile south of the museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice is a 15-minute walk or short drive (or short shuttle ride, now available through the Museum) away. The Memorial pays tribute to those who have suffered and perished from racial terror, offering visitors time and space for contemplation, reflection, and meaningful recognition of the historic realities of racial inequality.

In addition to striking sculptures and spatial design elements, the 800 suspended steel monuments, representing each American county in which a lynching occurred, contextualize and attempt to quantify the magnitude of this epoch of domestic terrorism.

Both the memorial and museum are crucial, incredible opportunities to reflect, learn, and respond to the darkest contours of our country’s past and present–we can’t recommend them enough. The bookstore and cafe offer great space to reflect, debrief, and shop for educational resources about the subjects explored at both sites.

Powerful. Go. Just go.