Drop-In Tour of Risking Everything

At the end of the run of Risking Everything at ABHM, we will be offering a guided tour of the exhibit with the price of admission. Join us on November 2nd at noon to learn about the exhibit from one of our trained Griots (docents) before it leaves! No registration required

The Wisconsin Historical Society’s traveling exhibit Risking Everything: A Freedom Summer Exhibit for Students opened at ABHM on October 8th and will be at the museum until November 4th.

In the summer of 1964, 70,000 Black Mississippi residents, mostly disenfranchised and underrepresented people, were joined by about 1,500 volunteers, mostly northern college students, as they attempted to register to vote and challenge segregation. Local police, state government, and community leaders fought back, trying to keep African Americans “in their place.” Several residents and civil rights workers were murdered and hundreds were beaten and/or arrested. Widespread media coverage shocked the nation, leading to the 1965 Voting Rights Act just nine months later.

Since 2014, Risking Everything has traveled to more than 50 venues around the nation and been seen by over 100,000 people. The sixteen panels of Risking Everything tell the story of Freedom Summer with reproductions of 77 historic photographs and documents.

The History Makers Tour is presented by Culver’s and is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.