City of Hope: Gandhi, King and the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign

City of Hope: Gandhi, King and The 1968 Poor People’s Campaign recognizes Mahatmas Gandhi’s influence on civil rights in the U.S. and India’s influence on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daring vision for economic justice for human rights worldwide. This poster exhibition highlights how Gandhi’s method for passive resistance (satyagraha) and a tour of India by Dr. and Mrs. King informed their work, including his final and most ambitious dream—a national anti-poverty movement known as the Poor People’s Campaign. It also examines the campaign—a grassroots, multiracial movement that drew thousands of people to Washington, DC. For 43 days between May and June 1968, demonstrators demanded social reforms while living side-by-side on the National Mall in a tent city known as Resurrection City. 

City of Hope: Gandhi, King and The 1968 Poor People’s Campaign is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Meridian International Center with support from the U.S. Mission to India and ReReeti Foundation.

Exhibition Display Dates

Chennai, Anna Centenary Library: January 20-30 

Mumbai, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival: January 25-Feb 2 

Hyderabad, Kalakriti Art Gallery: February 14-19

Delhi, American Center New Delhi: February 17-28 

Kolkata, American Center Kolkata: March 10-13, 2025 

About the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 70 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play.  For more information, visit SITES on its website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Since opening Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., has welcomed more than 7 million visitors. The nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting, and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu and follow @NMAAHC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.