Harlem's Urban Civil Rights Museum, New York's first museum devoted to civil rights, opens Nov. 14 on 125th Street

A new museum about the civil rights movement in the North opens in Harlem this weekend. The Urban Civil Rights Museum in Harlem, created by the National Urban League, opens to the public on Saturday, Nov. 14, on the fourth floor of the League's headquarters at 117 W. 125th St.

The museum describes itself as New York's first museum dedicated to civil rights and one of the first in the country focused on the movement's history in the North, according to its opening announcement.

What's inside

The permanent exhibition, "Moving History Forward," starts with the transatlantic slave trade and slavery in the Northern states, then follows free Black communities, the Underground Railroad, abolition and the long fight for citizenship, curator Jennifer Scott told amNewYork. The galleries use projected images, interactive booths, historical objects, TV clips and large maps.

Marc Morial, who created the museum with Scott, told amNewYork his favorite story is Henry "Box" Brown, who escaped slavery in Virginia by shipping himself in a wooden box to abolitionists in Philadelphia; the museum shows a replica of the box. A first temporary exhibition, "Thriving! Harlem as Homeplace," runs from Nov. 14 to May 17, 2027, according to the museum's site.

Tickets and hours

• Admission: $20 for adults 25 to 61; $15 for seniors 62 and up, youth 13 to 24, visitors with disabilities, and active U.S. military and veterans; free for children 12 and under. Caretakers accompanying a visitor with a disability get in free.
• Hours: Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday. Entry closes at 4:45 p.m.
• Holiday closures: Nov. 25 to 29 and Dec. 23 to Jan. 3.
• Tickets: timed entry, sold online and at the first-floor reception desk. The museum recommends buying ahead, especially on weekends. Credit cards and cash are accepted.

Details are from the museum's visit page.

Opening weekend

The museum is billing Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14 and 15, as its grand opening weekend. Group tours are also offered from opening day, according to the museum's site.

Getting there

Enter through the first-floor lobby and take the elevator to the fourth floor. The closest subway is the 2 and 3 at 125th Street, about a five-minute walk; the A, B, C and D at 125th Street are about 10 minutes away, and Metro-North riders can walk west from the 125th Street station, the museum says. The building, which opened in 2025, also holds the League's headquarters, a conference center and 171 affordable apartments.