Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance
Civic Spaces Are Necessary Spaces
Confronting histories of harm is difficult work that seldom happens without a dedicated plan and a safe space for exploring challenging topics. For millions of citizens the world over, Sites of Conscience are those spaces. Often they are historic sites – former detention centers, assassination sites, concentration camps – that use the power of memory to remind communities of the need to defend democratic values and prioritize our shared humanity. Other times, when physical sites may not be accessible, Sites of Conscience foster this connection between past and present in museums, community centers and even virtual spaces. Whatever the location, ICSC supports them and their community partners to develop groundbreaking programs – like those highlighted here – to help visitors use the lessons of history to become more inclusive, compassionate and resilient. At a moment when schools and other learning spaces are under attack or facing restrictions on curricula, Sites of Conscience preserve not only history, but their communities’ ability to think critically and share perspectives in thoughtful and unbiased ways.
The Pauli Murray Center , a Site of Conscience in Durham, North Carolina, remembers and shares the remarkable story of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, a trailblazing human rights activist, legal scholar, feminist, poet, author, Episcopal priest and labor organizer. The site recently responded to increasingly restrictive DEI legislation in the state by creating a teaching fellowship to train educators on social justice and equity centered classroom techniques.
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