DANVILLE, Va. – The Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History has received designation as a site on the historic U.S. Civil Rights Trail, which debuted in 2018 and includes more than 120 sites churches, schools, courthouses, museums across 15 states, mostly in the South.

The sites are places where activists challenged segregation and inequality in the 1950s and 1960s to advance social justice

“Danville played a critical role in the civil rights movement, so we are extremely proud to be added to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail,” said Elsabé Dixon, the museum’s executive director. “Inclusion and diversity are cornerstones of the Danville museum’s experience. We invite everyone to visit the museum and discover the many remarkable stories.”

Danville is one of three locations in Virginia with sites on the trail. The other sites are in Farmville and Richmond.

The museum applied last summer for inclusion as a site on the trail.Mayor Alonzo Jones, in a letter of support for the application, stated, “Danville has made great strides, and I am excited about our future, but we must not forget that our city’s heritage also is rich with struggle – a struggle that I believe is significant to the civil rights movement.”