Harlem museum plans opening with two exhibitions

The special exhibition THRIVING! HARLEM AS HOMEPLACE is scheduled through May 17, 2027.

The Urban Civil Rights Museum plans to open at 117 W 125th Street in Harlem, Manhattan, with a grand opening weekend on November 14–15, 2026.

Moving History Forward is the permanent exhibition. The museum focuses on the Northern Civil Rights movement and Black urban life. Displays cover slavery in Northern states, the Underground Railroad, free Black settlements and abolition movements.

The museum uses projected imagery, interactive booths, historical objects, television clips and large maps. It lists group tours from November 14 onward.