3 must-see places in the U.S. give voice to Black history, culture, and civil rights.

One of the audit’s calls to action is to “move towards a monument landscape that acknowledges a fuller history of this country.” Clearly, there is work to be done. But three sites devoted to commemorating Black history and the ongoing struggle for social justice and equity are helping to show the way forward. Here’s why you should plan a visit to them soon.

Raleigh, North Carolina

Located a block away from the State Capitol, Freedom Park showcases the words of influential Black North Carolinians whose civic contributions had long been unrecognized. Visitors are invited to engage with quotes engraved on walls that are the color of North Carolina’s red clay soil. Metaphorically, the walls represent the earth beneath which these voices have been hidden, but which they nonetheless enriched, contributing to the state’s prosperity.

“The monuments in this park are words and ideas,” says Dr. Reginald Hildebrand, former co-chair of the Freedom Park Board, the community group that advocated for the park for more than two decades. “History is often about who gets to speak and whose words are deemed worth remembering. We’ve decided that the people who can express the value of freedom with the greatest power and moral authority are the people who were denied it the most completely.”

Opened in the summer of 2023, the park distinguishes itself from the Neoclassical architecture and monuments of the past with a contemporary design that has an asymmetrical layout.

Among the 13 men and seven women whose voices are live in the park are George Floyd, who lost his life in May 2020 as a result of police brutality (“I can’t breathe”) and Lyda Moore Merrick, an advocate for the blind. Her words—“My father passed the torch to me, which I have never let go out”—are located next to the park’s central sculpture, representing a beacon of freedom.

Atlanta, Georgia

A decade after it first opened its doors, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is undergoing a significant expansion. The museum and cultural organization tells the story of the civil rights movement in the U.S. and connects it to the worldwide struggle for human rights. When the museum re-opens in the fall of 2025, visitors will be able to engage with the archives of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through new interactive features and explore an immersive gallery for children under 12 and their families.

A new exhibition space will examine the pivotal but lesser-known history of Reconstruction, including the museum’s collection of lynching photographs and artifacts from that time. The museum also has new space for temporary exhibits.

The organization’s broader goal is to inspire people to understand their role in protecting rights. “One of the most common questions that visitors ask is, ‘What can I do?’” says Don Byrd, chief operating officer of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. “In our new Activation Lab, you’ll be able to access resources and plan out what you want to do after you’ve taken in all this knowledge and start your own journey as a changemaker in your community.” Notes Byrd: “We highlight ordinary people who did extraordinary things, like the students who made Freedom Rides to join the protest. You don’t have to be a Dr. King to make a change.”

Los Angeles, California

Destination Crenshaw, an outdoor arts and culture experience slated to host the country’s largest public collection of works by Black artists, opens its first segment this year: the 40,000-square-foot Sankofa Park.

Destination Crenshaw was initiated by community members responding to a new light-rail metro line running at grade along Crenshaw Boulevard, the city’s “Main Street” for Black businesses. Transforming 1.3 miles of the transit corridor, a series of pocket parks, outdoor sculptures, and eventually more than 50 murals will celebrate the artistic and cultural contributions of Black LA.

Among the permanent artworks in Sankofa Park is Charles Dickson’s monumental sculpture, Car Culture. Its main body is a trio of elongated figures resembling West African Senufo sculptures, linked by a crown fashioned from the fronts and ends of cars and a fanciful engine. Also of note is the six-foot-diameter pink orb, An Object of Curiosity, Radiating Love, by Maren Hassinger, which glows softly when visitors approach.

“Black artists have had a global impact, and many of the most popular artists are from LA,” says Jason Foster, the president and CEO of Destination Crenshaw. “We want to mark that importance and create a place where Angelenos and people globally can come and support our causes and celebrate with us.”