RALEIGH — E.B. Palmer's mission is to preserve the legacy others have left behind.

Palmer grew up in Durham. He taught school and later became head of the North Carolina Teachers Association. In the 1960s and 1970s, he led the fight to integrate schools.

Fifteen years ago, he opened a museum at his home on Sunnybrook Road in Raleigh, a tribute to African-Americans living the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

"Sometimes I read the history of African-Americans and cry. Man everywhere has to learn to live together," he says.

The African American Cultural Complex is more than a museum. It is also an outdoor drama. There is a small amphitheater behind Palmer's house where professional actors perform "Amistad" every summer during the last two weekends in July.