National Civil Rights Museum presents talk with civil rights architect, father-son duo, David J. Dennis, Sr. and Jr.
May 22 2024 - 1:42PM
The National Civil Rights Museum brings civil rights legend David
J. Dennis, Sr. and his son David J. Dennis, Jr. to discuss their
book,
The Movement Made Us, on the cusp of the 60th
anniversary of Mississippi Freedom Summer. The duo will also
present a particularly poignant discussion around student activism
today for the first time on Saturday, June 1, after inclement
weather in 2023 caused a pivot to a virtual-only discussion. This
will be Dennis Sr.’s first visit to the museum since opening day in
1991.
The Movement Made Us is a dynamic family exchange that pivots
between a father's and son's voices. It is a unique work of oral
history and memoir, chronicling the extraordinary story of the
Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and its living legacy embodied
in Black Lives Matter. David Dennis Sr., a core architect of the
movement, speaks out for the first time, swapping both harrowing
and joyful recollections with David Jr., a journalist working on
the front lines of change today.
“These days it is rare that we have an opportunity to converse
with the change makers, the sages who strategized and implemented
what we have chronicled as the Movement in our museum galleries,”
said museum president, Dr. Russ Wigginton. “Having Dave Dennis, Sr.
share a blueprint from the front lines and his son interpret how
similar struggles have manifested in today’s movement is golden.
Intergenerational dialogues like this are examples of how we keep
the legacy alive by building stronger personal bonds within our
common history and family heritage. It is an honor to have them
both.” he said.
A legend of the 1960s Movement, David Dennis Sr. began as a
student activist at Southern University in Baton Rouge, where he
led student sit-ins at Woolworth’s counters. After he was forced to
leave Southern, he attended Dillard University in New Orleans. He
was a part of the Freedom Rides of 1961 from Washington, DC to New
Orleans. He was arrested in Jackson, MS with hundreds of student
Freedom Riders and jailed in the notorious Parchman Prison. In the
book, there are scenes from across David Sr.’s life, as he becomes
involved in the movement, tries to move beyond it, and ultimately
returns to it to find final solace and a new sense of self. It is
the story of a nation reckoning with change and the hopes,
struggles, setbacks, and triumphs of modern Black life.
The Movement Made Us is available for purchase in the museum’s
online store and will be personally autographed by the authors. The
hybrid Book & Author Series event begins at 2:00 pm Central and
is free and open for registration. For more information,
visit civilrightsmuseum.org/events.
About the National Civil Rights Museum
The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic
Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the
American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. Since
the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the
world have come, including more than 90,000 students annually.
Serving as the new public square, the Museum is steadfast in its
mission to honor and preserve the site of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.’s assassination. It chronicles the American civil rights
movement and tells the story of the ongoing struggle for human
rights, serving as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive
social change. A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally
acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is recognized as a 2019
National Medal Award recipient by the Institute of Museums and
Library Services (IMLS), the top national honor for museums and
libraries. It is a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Top 5% U.S.
Museum, USA Today's Top 10 Best American Iconic Attractions; Top 10
Best Historical Spots in the U.S. by TLC's Family Travel; Must See
by the Age of 15 by Budget Travel and Kids; Top 10, American
Treasures by USA Today; and Best Memphis Attraction by The
Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Business Journal.
– civilrightsmuseum.org
–
Connie Dyson
National Civil Rights Museum
901-527-1225
cdyson@civilrightsmuseum.org