Cultural Events
Andrew Spears
ECPI University

Cultural Events
In this section, I will introduce two cultural events experienced: The International Civil Rights Museum and the Greensboro Historical Museum.
International Civil Rights Museum.
The first cultural event I attended was the International Civil Rights Museum (ICRM) located in downtown Greensboro on February One street. At this museum you relive and learn the history behind the Greensboro Four and the Civil Rights movement. It was a privilege to have experienced the museum in person. Walking through the Woolworth building where the sit-ins occurred will leave an everlasting impression on me. In that experience, one can understand the sense of anguish and pain that was experienced during that time. The museum can bring up all sorts of emotions in a person that truly enjoys history. The museum exhibited how during the time of the civil rights movement both black and white people came together to rid, not only Greensboro but the nation of discrimination. They believed in equality amongst the people; they protected, marched, and performed sit-ins to display their thoughts and feelings about racial segregation. About the International Civil Rights Museum & Center. (2010, January 20).
Greensboro Historical Museum
The second cultural event I attended was the Greensboro Historical Museum. This museum was founded in 1924 to tell American history the perspective of Greensboro. It was very enlightening to experience the museum in person. Inside the museum you are able to see how deep the history is within the city. Since the city was founded, there have been an abundance of key historic events throughout time. Greensboro has lived up to the nickname “The Gateway City”. Transportation from rail roads and jobs from an industry influenced economy; Greensboro has become one of the most diverse cities in North Carolina, consisting of immigrants and refugees.
Event Histories
In this section I will talk about the history and historical context of the International Civil Rights Museum and the Greensboro Historical Museum.
International Civil Rights Museum. The ICRM opened on February 1, 2010; the exact anniversary of the February One sit-ins initiated by the Greensboro Four. The ICRM is what links Greensboro to the rest of the world. It started as something that gives people a better understanding of the struggles of social injustice and equality across the United States. It is a reminder that a civil war was not only happening in the deep south, such as Alabama and Mississippi but is was happening right here in Greensboro, NC also. To this day people of all different cultural backgrounds come and visit the museum to attain that understanding of what went on the 1950s and 60s.
About the International Civil Rights Museum & Center. (2010, January 20).

Greensboro Historical Museum. The Greensboro Historical Museum was founded in 1924. Originally, the Presbyterian Baptist Church, the building itself is a historical artifact. Located behind the building is a cemetery where members of the church, civil war vets, and the Spanish and American war vets are buried. In this museum you will find not only Greensboro history but American history also.

Similarities/Differences with Other Cultures In this section I will talk about the similarities and differences between the International Civil Rights Museum and the Greensboro Historical Museum.
International Civil Rights Museum. A cultural event that I would compare the ICRM to is the Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. This is a former concentration camp called Auschwitz, showing where Jewish men, woman and children were imprisoned to die from disease, hunger or slaughter. In my opinion I believe the holocaust is more inhumane and unforgiving than slavery but the German museum does have its similarities to the ICRM. They are similar because Jewish people were the minority in Germany and were considered not human or less of a person because of their ethnicity. The same was happening with the African Americans in the United States during the 1950s. They are different because African Americans were given the chance to live to a certain extent. Jewish people were gathered up, imprisoned and murdered. A whole race was nearly wiped off the face of the earth. Hist. (1999, January 1). In Auschwitz-Birkenau St Mus.
Greensboro Historical Museum. The Greensboro Museum is similar to The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Similar to our museum in Greensboro they pay homage to their culture and identity. It gives people a sense of what the country values and the foundation it is built upon. The difference between the two museums is that in Russia the graphic works such as arts, paintings and sculptures make up their museum. In Greensboro the buildings, people and personal belongings make up the museum. I believe the Greensboro museum becomes more personal when you visit due to the artifacts inside it. I find it hard to relate to paintings and sculptures unless you are an artist yourself. History. (1999, January 1). In Auschwitz-Birkenau State Mus.

Discussion/Conclusion Together both of these events make up Greensboro’s’ culture and history. We know the past determines our future and the foundation that was laid is in these two historical sites are the proof. . It shows the good and the bad of the city. It also shows the progress it has made over the years. Whether you have moved here from another state or a city within North Carolina; these events will make you appreciate the history that is held within it. I will always treasure the experience and would want to revisit it again someday. These things show that as a culture, we preserve our history to remember where we come from, where we do not want to return and the direction we are headed.

References
About the International Civil Rights Museum & Center. (2010, January 20). In The International Civil Rights Museum & Center. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from www.sitinmovement.org

Brown-Rose, J.(2008). Civil rights movement. In Africa and the Americas: Culture, politics, and history. Retrieved from http://libproxy.ecpi.edu:2088/content/entry/abcafatrle/civil_rights_movement/0

Fundukian L.(2012). “Greensboro”. Cities of the United States. Vol 1 (7th ed). Pg 421-431. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 21 Apr 2014.

History. (1999, January 1). In Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from en.auschwitz.org/‎

Janaro, R., & Altshuler, T. (2012). The Art of Being Human (10th ed., pp. 402-403). Boston, MA: Pearson.