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A lot of our museums and cultural institutions are doing double duty these days they’re cautiously beginning to open their doors and offer socially distant programming, but they’re also taking care of those of us who still feel more comfortable with online events. The National Civil Rights Museum has reopened, but its virtual programming remains vibrant and highly topical. This week, on Tuesday at 6 :30pm you can catch an online screening of “The Vanishing Trial,” a documentary that investigates the trial penalty. “Trial Penalty” is the term used to describe the substantially longer prison sentence a person receives if they exercise their right to trial instead of pleading guilty. The documentary reveals how the trial penalty has led to the shocking disappearance of one of the most fundamental individual rights and the explosion in America’s prison population. Throughout the film, you’ll hear the perspectives of national experts, including former federal judge
LGBTQ+ Politician Torrey Harris Favorite Places in Memphis
The youngest lawmaker in Tennessee gives us a tour of his adopted hometown. March 12 2021 4:00 AM EST
Editor s note: Last year, Torrey Harris became the youngest legislator in Tennessee when the 29-year-old bisexual Black man won his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Harris first moved to Memphis a decade ago and quickly became an active leader in the community. Before becoming a state Representative, he worked with several Memphis organizations including Shelby County Young Democrats, CHOICES Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, and Friends For Life, one of the oldest and most comprehensive HIV service organizations in the South.
5 Star Stories: NCRM brings US civil rights history to life
5 Star Stories: Navigating the past, present and future at the NCRM By Kym Clark | March 9, 2021 at 9:55 PM CST - Updated March 9 at 10:42 PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel reopened March 1, 2021, after closing its doors to visitors because of COVID-19. For almost 30 years the museum has inspired generations of people around the world with its poignant and personal presentation of civil rights struggles throughout history.
At 450 Mulberry Street in the South Main Historic Arts District in downtown Memphis is one of this country’s premier heritage and cultural museums. As Dr. Noelle Trent, the museum’s director of interpretation, collections and education said, “This place has power for folks.”
National Civil Rights Museum and FAMM Host Journey to Justice Virtual Screening and Panel on Trial Penalty
Panelists include attorney, judge and returning citizen who advocate for sentencing reform
Memphis, TN, March 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) The National Civil Rights Museum and FAMM are hosting a virtual film screening and panel discussion of
“The Vanishing Trial,” to highlight wrongful conviction and sentencing around the “trial penalty.” The 90-minute event on March 16 highlights a documentary of four cases involving excessive penalities followed by a panel with FAMM president, a Virginia prosecutor, a Tennessee judge and a returning citizen who recently won clemency.
“The Vanishing Trial” focuses on four individuals who were forced to make that choice between pleading guilty or going to trial. Each was threatened with a “trial penalty,” the substantially longer prison sentence a person receives if they exercise their constitutional right to trial instead of