This week’s groundbreaking for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History heralds a new phase of major museums on the history and global impact of the civil rights movement, writes The New York Times.

Along with the Smithsonian facility in Washington, projects are in the works in Atlanta; Jackson, Miss.; and Charleston, S.C. Together they represent a $750-million investment and a leap in scholarly ambition from a patchwork of smaller institutions and iconic monuments dedicated to the African American struggle for equality.

To a younger generation, “We’re at that stage where the civil rights movement is the new World War II,” said Doug Shipman, CEO of the $100-million National Center for Civil and Human Rights, scheduled to open in Atlanta in 2014. “It’s a move to the next phase of telling this story.”