Today, the church is on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage and is a designated National Historic Landmark. Visit the Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the site of Malcolm X’s address in support of voting rights, and the Selma Interpretive Center, where armed forces attacked the first wave of unarmed marchers during Bloody Sunday. Birmingham This page has been accessed 16,935 times. Birmingham struggled to shed the stigma of violence and injustice, and today is home to several memorials and one of the country’s premier civil rights museums. Spend time in Alabama’s capital, where many of the Civil Rights Movement’s events occurred, laying the foundation for the 1965 marches. Those attitudes run deep in the culture and are clearly taking a long time to change completely. Stay at the historic Union Station Hotel for easy walking access to both the downtown honky tonks, Country Music Hall of Fame, and the popular Gulch district. All rights reserved. Learn about the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, the people who bravely shaped it, and those who continue to fight for justice today. Please rotate your device. The non-violent protesters, led by ministers including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. The church still operates today and receives more than 200,000 visitors each year. The sculpture is one of several stops on the audio wand tour available from the Civil Rights Institute. The trail system was incorporated into the regional Red Rock Ridge & Valley Trail System.. Visit the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of a church bombing in 1963 that killed four young girls preparing to sing in their choir, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, an interactive museum that tells the story of the movement. It is only by addressing these issues head on that we can teach our kids the values that we want to instill and show them why silence and ignorance are not options. We flew home to the appalling news of white supremacists taking to the streets of Charlottesville, a town we loved visiting, spreading their vile disease of hate.

Partners A public presentation of plans for the trail was held on May 12 at Kelly Ingram Park with a video presentation and a performance by the Carver High School choir and Temple Light Mass Choir. So we didn’t fulfill our hope of walking the span of the bridge. Again, I did not realize that this boycott, which was universally followed by all African Americans and many whites in the city, went on for thirteen months! Copyright Premier Travel Media | Privacy Policy, Discover the Castles, Palaces and Monasteries of Switzerland, Switzerland Museums: Treasure Houses of Art, Ronald Reagan Library Enlightens, Informs All Who Visit, Rhythm of the Rails: Tourist Trains Have Group Appeal, Cruise Line Loyalty Programs Continue to Evolve. One Orange route sign recalls the 26-year reign of Birmingham’s infamous public safety commissioner, Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor, who enforced the city’s segregation ordinances by ordering policemen and firemen to control and terrorize black demonstrators. When we visited the Rosa Parks Museum there, there was a special exhibit of shirts that represented lynching victims. Shuttlesworth was in the building but remarkably was unharmed. Other exhibits show examples of racial stereotypes in popular culture, such as advertisements and products that relied on images of happy overweight “mammy” figures (like Aunt Jemima), minstrel faces and blacks eating watermelons.

Across the street, historic 16 th Street Baptist Church, a famous civil rights landmark that was bombed by Klansmen in 1963, killing four little girls. I hope to help take the pain out of planning your next family vacation and get you on the road to creating more happy memories. It's one thing to read about a place or see it on TV. If you are looking for a good stop along the way, take a detour to the college town of Oxford, Mississippi. I hope to travel there this summer and will let you know if there are any logistical tips visitors would need to know. This public park contains emotionally powerful sculptures depicting the civil rights struggle in Birmingham. You would think that after ten days of learning about the Civil Rights Movement, we would have become desensitized. © 2013-2020 Red Giant Media, LLC. […] better…but we still have a long way to go.

But it doesn’t sink all the way in until you walk in the footsteps of Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, Rosa Parks, Diane Nash, Fred Shuttlesworth, Ralph Abernathy, Hosea Williams, and other leaders of the U.S. Civil Rights movement.

The exhibits include video (such as MLK Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech,) and replicas of the bombed Freedom Rides bus and a Montgomery city bus. As someone who recalls watching these struggles on TV newcasts, I found Birmingham’s museum exhibits, outdoor monuments and trail markers a fascinating look back at recent U.S. history. A quick look at this home might make you think it is something you can either skip or only spend a few minutes looking around and poking your head into the basement where slaves waited until it was safe to continue on their journey. Most of the signs include reproductions of photographs, quotes from the era, and explanations of the significance of particular locations and events. The exhibits then try to create an understanding of the effects of segregation by showing the differences in education, employment opportunities, and access to medical care. So our road trip went like this: 3 nights in Nashville-3 nights in Memphis-1 night in Birmingham-a stop in Selma-1 night in Montgomery-3 nights in Atlanta. A statue in front of the Institute honors Shuttlesworth, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, who endured beatings and a house bombing while a leader in the Birmingham marches. Renee Kemp-Rotan, administrative assistant to the mayor for capital projects, said photos were chosen from the 6,000 never-before-seen negatives recently uncovered by an intern in storage boxes at the Birmingham News. For more information, contact the Greater Birmingham CVB, 800-458-8085, www.inbirmingham.org. I believe strongly that it is incumbent on us as parents to make sure our kids understand where racism comes from, why it is rooted so deeply into our society, the struggle and bravery it took to secure equal civil rights, and the ongoing fight for civil and human rights in the United States and around the globe. The exhibits start off with a short film that explains how Birmingham was created and the rise of Jim Crow and segregation. Exhibits in the church and Civil Rights Institute describe the horrific crime that buried the girls (ages 11 to 14) in rubble; another girl lost an eye and more than 20 other people were injured. At the back of the sanctuary is the stained-glass Wales Window, a memorial gift of a black crucified Christ from the people of Wales. As you think of the 250 years that slavery existed in our country, it is easier to understand how racial prejudices have taken such root.

Several sites in Birmingham were bombed during the struggle for civil rights.

Museum goers also witness the realities of segregated lunch counters, restrooms, drinking fountains, theaters and bus station waiting rooms. Where to Stop on the Kancamagus Highway for the Best Scenic Views, 6 New York Road Trips to take in the Fall, 5 Adorable Treehouses in New Hampshire for your Next Getaway, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, 30+ Places To Learn About Black History In The US – FairShareTravel.com, 15 Epic Civil Rights Museum Stops Designed To Defeat Hate. You can’t ignore the fact that the struggle for the words of the Constitution to really apply to everyone equally is ongoing.

(Note: Carnegie Science Center is closed on Sunday due to the Steelers home game.
The interpretive center is small and if you have already learned about the Selma marches for voting rights in Memphis or Birmingham, then you may not find anything new, but it did reinforce our previous museum visits.

The other must-visit spot in Atlanta is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. The final stop on our civil rights tour was Atlanta, just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Montgomery (not including the time change from Central to Eastern.) The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is the centerpiece of the city’s Civil Rights District.

The trail has been part of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute's conceptual plan since its opening in 1992. Montgomery There are a few civil rights-related places to visit, but on our one-day visit we focused on the Rosa Parks Museum and the Freedom Rides Museum. If you want to do something similar, here is your guide.

The tour finishes just a 10-minute walk to the MLK National Historic site, rounding out a day of learning and eating. Originally established as the First Colored Baptist Church of Birmingham in 1873, the 16th Street Baptist Church remained a mainstay in the black community, hosting prominent black visitors such as W.E.B. We were heartbroken by the tragic loss of life and violence at the hands of a homegrown racist terrorist. You may need to wait for your next “tour” to start, but it is a self-guided museum.

Nothing as powerful of the lunch counter exhibit in Atlanta, but I can’t watch a video of MLK Jr.’s speeches without being moved by tears. The bronzed shoes of these unsung heroes will be placed in front of signs. Revis was a deacon in the church during the Shuttlesworth pastorate. Bethel Baptist Church served as headquarters for the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights and rose to prominence under the leadership of the Rev. She will drive you around and tell you all about the area’s history, communities, and leaders (plus point out some amazing places to eat.) The exhibits start off with a short film that explains how Birmingham was created and the rise of Jim Crow and segregation. We stand firmly with our friends and neighbors at the Tree of Life Synagogue and with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims of Saturday’s tragic shooting.