Governor Hochul Announces Opening of New York’s First Civil Rights Museum in Harlem

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the opening of the Urban Civil Rights Museum in Harlem, New York State's first civil rights museum and the nation's first dedicated to the Northern Civil Rights Movement. Located at 117 West 125th Street, the museum is the final component of the National Urban League's Urban League Empowerment Center, which also houses the organization's national headquarters. The opening marks a major milestone for the development, supported by nearly $90 million in public funding and tax credit equity, and establishes a new cultural and educational destination in the heart of Harlem.

"New York has always been at the forefront of movements that advance freedom, fairness, and opportunity," Governor Hochul said. "The opening of the Urban Civil Rights Museum in Harlem honors the leaders, communities, and everyday citizens whose determination helped shape our state and our nation. This extraordinary institution will educate, inspire, and remind us that the work of building a more just society remains as important today as ever."

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York is recognizing the important role cultural institutions play in driving economic growth and strengthening communities. The Urban Civil Rights Museum will bring new visitors to 125th Street, support surrounding businesses and build on Harlem's reputation as one of the nation's most significant cultural destinations. This project demonstrates how strategic investments in arts and tourism can create lasting economic benefits for neighborhoods across New York State."

The Urban Civil Rights Museum explores more than four centuries of history through eight permanent galleries, tracing the experiences of Black communities in Northern cities from the Great Migration and Harlem Renaissance through the modern civil rights movement and contemporary efforts to advance justice and equality. The museum also features rotating exhibitions, including its inaugural temporary exhibition, Thriving! Harlem as Homeplace, along with educational programming and community engagement initiatives.

The museum is part of the Urban League Empowerment Center, a mixed-use development on 125th Street that serves as the National Urban League's permanent headquarters and houses its Institute for Race, Equity, and Justice. The development also includes 170 affordable homes.

New York State has supported the broader Urban League Empowerment Center project through nearly $90 million in funding and tax credit equity, including $16 million in state funding, $2 million in RESTORE funding, $2.5 million through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative, $35 million in equity through New York State Homes and Community Renewal's (HCR) Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, and $34 million in HCR housing subsidies. Empire State Development also awarded $250,000 through its Market New York program to support the museum's brand development, website creation and community engagement efforts.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "The Urban Civil Rights Museum's location inside the Urban League Empowerment Center showcases New York's commitment to investing in the people of Harlem, who continue to fight for equality and social justice. This mixed-use center, which opened last year, serves as a community hub that has brought jobs and retail to 125th Street, in addition to 170 affordable and supportive homes that residents desperately needed. Thank you to the National Urban League and all of the center's private, non-profit, and City and State partners, for this towering achievement that is contributing to the neighborhood's future while honoring its historic past."

National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said, "The Urban Civil Rights Museum is a promise kept to Harlem and to the nation. It preserves a chapter of American history that too many people never learned, right here on 125th Street, where so much of that history was made. For too long, the story of civil rights in America has been told as a Southern story, but the fight for fair housing, good jobs, quality schools and equal justice was waged just as fiercely in the cities of the North, and Harlem was at the heart of it. We built this museum so that the next generation can see themselves in that legacy and carry it forward."

Assemblymember Jordan J.G. Wright said, "Harlem has always been at the forefront of the fight for civil rights. From the Great Migration and Harlem Renaissance to the fight for justice today, the exhibits at the Urban Civil Rights Museum tell stories that must be preserved. Thank you to Marc Morial and the National Urban League for making this a reality."

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, "For more than a century, Manhattan has been the national home of the civil rights movement, where luminaries like W.E.B. Du Bois published The Crisis, where Thurgood Marshall's legal team built the case that won Brown v. Board of Education, and where the National Urban League was born in 1910. I'm elated to celebrate the opening of the Urban Civil Rights Museum in Harlem, one of the nation's first dedicated to the Northern Civil Rights Movement. I'm grateful to Governor Hochul for committing $90 million in support of this extraordinary institution, to National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial whose decades-long leadership made this museum a reality, and to former Borough President C. Virginia Fields, Senator Cleare, Assembly Member Wright, and Council Member Salaam for their support in making today's grand opening possible."

New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam said, "The Urban Civil Rights Museum belongs on 125th Street because so much of this history was lived here. This museum will draw visitors to our local businesses, open new doors for our students and make sure the next generation in Central Harlem knows the giants whose shoulders they stand on. I'm grateful to Governor Hochul and the National Urban League for this investment in our community's past and future."

About Empire State Development

Empire State Development is New York's chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state's 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state's world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.