Danville museum becomes third Virginia site added to U.S. Civil Rights Trail

DANVILLE, Va. – Part of Southside Virginia is being recognized for its place in Civil Rights history.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail added The Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History to its repertoire.

This trail, which debuted in 2018, spans across 15 states and features more than 120 sites where activists have challenged injustice and worked to advance equality.

U.S. Civil Rights Trail sites must satisfy one of the following criteria:

• Be associated with events that made a significant contribution to the civil rights movement during its height (the 1950s and 1960s)
• Be associated with the life of a person(s) who was significant in the civil rights movement
• Embody the distinctive characteristics of a tourism site

The museum earned its designation due to the notable civil rights exhibitions showcased inside, such as “The Movement: Danville’s Civil Rights” and a Camilla Williams exhibition.

All of these exhibitions highlight the complex stories and events that occurred during the 1950s and 1960s in Danville at the height of the civil rights movement.

Danville joins Farmville and Richmond as one of three Virginia sites to receive the designation.