Civil rights museum: still no public notice about site

On Wednesday, we posted a piece revealing that the site for the proposed Center for Civil and Human Rights had apparently been finalized without any public announcement. We found out about it when we heard through the grapevine about a site dedication ceremony scheduled for Monday at the corner of Ivan Allen Boulevard and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, next to the World of Coca-Cola.

Yesterday, we got a call from Doug Shipman, executive director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights Partnership, the city-sponsored group responsible with raising private funding for the museum. Shipman explained that he would like Monday’s ceremony to be a big public kick-off for museum support.

Certainly, we wish the effort well. But when dealing with major civic projects – especially one with the cultural significance of a civil rights center in the hometown of Martin Luther King Jr. – there must be public awareness and buy-in at every step in the process.

Last month, the City Council approved $40 million in funding for the center through the Westside TAD, which narrowed down the options for where the center could be located. But the decision to accept Coca-Cola’s offer of a 2.5-acre lot next to its soft-drink attraction still warranted a public announcement.

Ground-breakings and ribbon-cuttings are supposed to be photo-ops. The big decisions that lead up to the ceremonies are the real news.

The irony in all of this is that it’s almost noon on Friday and we still haven’t seen a press release concerning Monday’s ceremony. Even the Partnership’s website offers no clue that this event will take place. Why is this so hush-hush?