How to become part of the trail – US Civil Rights Trail

Discover the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

Partners

MISSION

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail was designed to motivate people to learn more, see more and feel more. The website can tell the stories, but the emotional weight of those stories cannot be fully absorbed without standing in the exact spots where sacrifices were made and the direction of history was changed.

INVITATION

Join us in sharing the U.S. Civil Rights Trail and the journey to freedom.

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a collection of churches, courthouses, schools, museums and other landmarks in the Southern states and beyond that played a pivotal role in advancing social justice in the 1950s and 1960s, shifting the course of history.

CRITERIA FOR MEMBERSHIP

The following criteria will be taken into consideration in determining an applicant’s eligibility for inclusion in the U.S. Civil Rights Trail and in corresponding marketing materials – including the website, CivilRightsTrail.com.

Only sites that are considered significant to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement during its height (1950s and 1960s) and provide a meaningful visitor experience will be chosen to join the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. The highest priority will go to landmarks where events impacted congressional legislation or Supreme Court decisions that extended racial equality in terms of public education, public accommodations or voting rights. Also, museums or locations that contain significant displays and interpretations of events from the civil rights era shall be considered.

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance, in cooperation with a review committee of historians, academics and travel professionals, will consider all applications submitted between January 1 and July 15. All applicants will be notified by August 30 regarding the status of their submission.

Application Process

Step one

Please provide the following information:

Destination name
Physical address
Director
Mailing address
Office phone number
Email address
Website address
Days and hours of operation

We encourage applications to be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from a member state of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance, LLC, or letters of recommendation from other city, state or national sources.

For information on member states, email:
application@civilrightstrail.com.

Cost of admission
Estimated total visitors last year
Estimated number of student visitors
Estimated number of group tour guests
Historical designation (National Historic Landmark, National Monument, etc.)
Most meaningful “claim to fame” in connection with the Civil Rights Movement
Articles, magazines or newspaper clippings that portray the role the site played in the movement

Step two

Please provide written documentation regarding how your nomination meets some or all of the criteria below.

U.S. Civil Rights Trail sites must:

Be associated with events that made a significant contribution to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement during its height (1950s and 1960s); or

Be associated with the life of a person(s) who was significant in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement; or

Embody the distinctive characteristics of a tourism site, including but not limited to being open to the public or public view as a tourist attraction, providing guided or self-guided experiential activities, or displaying a series of commemorative markers that communicate context for the history of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

Applications can be mailed to:

U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance, LLC
3500 Piedmont Road NE, Suite 775
Atlanta, GA 30305

Applications can be emailed to:

application@civilrightstrail.com

No phone calls accepted.

Step three

Upon approval, applicant agrees to provide the following resources:

Contact and Content

- Contact on-site – name, phone, email
- Brief (150+ word) description
- 8-10 high-resolution photos
- Any other marketing assets, including video, interviews, testimonials, etc.

Content must be provided within 60 days of acceptance.

Fee: If approved, the applicant agrees to pay a one-time fee of $3,500 to cover the associated cost of adding the site to the USCRT. Payment must be provided within 60 days of acceptance.

Questions: Email inquiries to:
application@civilrightstrail.com.

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