Tuskegee Survivors Get Keys to Museum

Survivors of an infamous U.S. government experiment that targeted poor blacks to study the long-term effects of syphilis received keys to a museum that will depict their unwitting sacrifice. Fred Gray, who represented the Tuskegee syphilis experiment survivors in a 1973 lawsuit against the government, said the men who participated in the study, which lasted from 1932 to 1972, wanted a place for future generations to learn about racism and the contributions of those who participated in the American civil rights movement. “These men wanted a center representing their contributions and the contributions of other people of this area in the field of civil rights,” Gray said. “This center will serve as a reminder that the healing process is ongoing.” Alabama Exchange Bank donated the building for the museum, which will be known as the Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Center, in a ceremony attended by survivors.