Albany Civil Rights Institute

The Albany Civil Rights Institute is a museum and research center in Albany, Georgia, that tells the story of the civil rights movement in southwest Georgia. Consisting of the Old Mount Zion church, site of one of the first mass meetings of the Albany Movement, and a 12,315 square foot museum space adjacent to the church, ACRI is uniquely able to bring together community members, movement veterans, historians and visitors to discover, record and celebrate the rich history of the southwest Georgia civil rights struggle. ACRI consists of exhibit space packed with interactive exhibits, a large multipurpose room, an outdoor garden facility, a digital oral history database, a resource library and state-of-the-art audio and visual technology. By displaying the reality of life in southwest Georgia in the runup to the modern civil rights movement and then immersing visitors in the culture and conflicts of the 1960s, ACRI allows visitors to experience the evolution of everyday citizens into the courageous activists of the Albany Movement. Community leaders and the ACRI board of directors have come together to help the Institute secure the state-of-the-art resources it needs to pursue its mission. The museum space is made possible by support from the Albany City Commission, the Mt. Zion Baptist Church and generous donors in Albany and from around the country.