Tug Of War At Civil Rights Museum

There is a controversy brewing in Memphis, Tenn., over whether state government, which owns the National Civil Rights Museum, should give the museum's board the 50-year extension it is seeking on its lease.

Circuit Judge D'Army Bailey, a museum founder and one of the board's most aggressive critics, focuses on J.R. Hyde III, the executive committee chair of the museum's board and founder of AutoZone, in his critique of the museum as a publicity tool under the control of corporate interests. "It gives (Hyde) credibility, legitimacy," Mr. Bailey said. "Why does McDonald's put their logo out at black events? It shows credibility with a big market. It's a valuable public relations gimmick with no underlying commitment to civil rights." Mr. Bailey cited the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit against AutoZone, based on racial discrimination complaints filed by employees at the auto parts giant, which has been languishing for seven years in federal court. Mr. Hyde said that AutoZone management, of which he is no longer a member, is confident that the lawsuit is without merit and anxious to resolve the issue in court when the opportunity arises. Mr. Hyde also notes that Mr. Bailey was the one who initiated his involvement.

Mr. Hyde and other museum defenders trace Mr. Bailey's criticism to his loss of the museum board presidency in an election face-off with Benjamin Hooks, civil rights lawyer and former NAACP national executive director, not long after the museum opened in 1991. Mr. Bailey resigned from the board after the election.

Members of the Tennessee General Assembly's Black Caucus have joined the fray on the side of Mr. Bailey and others who want change. A majority of Memphis City Council members present for a Parks Committee meeting last week approved a motion that could start the wheels rolling toward a city takeover. The eventual goal would be to work out a management agreement with the National Parks Service, which manages black history museums in Little Rock, Ark. and Atlanta.

The issue has even attracted interest from civil rights era luminaries Rev. James Lawson, who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. across the South, and Bill Lucy, international secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, whose strike against city government brought the late Dr. King to Memphis. They told state legislators at a recent meeting that they're concerned that the public doesn't have enough input into the museum's operations.

Other critics, such as Mr. Bailey, argue that the museum - which primarily chronicles the civil rights struggles of African-Americans - should have more African-Americans on its board, which is about 50 percent black, more veterans of the civil rights struggle and more working class citizens. But it's not just governance issues that concern the museum's critics, who also feel the NCRM is falling too far behind on maintenance, failing to modernize in a way that would interest young visitors and not putting enough effort into its education and research efforts.

A long-term lease would help the museum apply for federal tax credits, noted with museum president Beverly Robertson. The museum board has considered the option of purchasing the site from the state for a token $1, but has opted for a lease extension instead in order not to close the door on possible financial help from the state. Board members Greg Duckett and Herbert Hilliard also have argued that a long-term lease would give the museum the stability it needs for successful fund-raising. The museum also is engaged in a five-year $500,000 capital improvements effort that addresses maintenance issues, said Ms. Robertson. And its 32-member board is a diverse mix of people from the corporate world, nonprofits, government, the faith community and other sectors.

The nationally accredited museum, located at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, attracts almost 200,000 visitors a year. It enhances the city's international image, particularly with the annual Freedom Awards it hands out to prominent figures in human rights and civil rights campaigns from around the world, who collect their prizes at an annual gala that in 2006 netted more than $800,000 of the museum's $3.1 million in revenue. The museum rates two stars out of four on the Charity Navigator scale, which means that, according to the widely consulted Web site, it "meets or nearly meets industry standards but underperforms most charities in its cause." Its administrative expenses consume 18.6 percent of total operating expenditures, including the $133,763 salary reported for Robertson on its 2006 IRS Form 990.