Celebrate Black History Month: From Little Rock, Ark., to Washington, D.C.- Important Cities During the Civil Rights Movement
The South played a pivotal role in the nation’s civil rights movement. Today, you can closer examine some of the key places and sites across the region. This is not a comprehensive list by any means, but provides you with a good start.
In Alabama: Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham
- The 54-mile Selma to Montgomery National Voting Rights Trail takes you by the National Voting Museum and Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Along the way to Montgomery, you will pass the Lowndes County Interpretive Center, dedicated to the marchers and volunteers.
It was 1955 in Montgomery, and Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. Today, you can learn more at Rosa Parks Museum. The city is also home to Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where Martin Luther King, Jr., served as pastor. Montgomery also has civil rights audio tour that provides further details about important sites around the city.
- Birmingham could be considered as one of the pivotal cities of the civil rights movement. The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was the site of the horrific church bombing in 1963. Presently, the renovated church is to everyone for worship. Kelly Ingram Park was known across the nation for some of the terrible images of dogs and water hoses attacking demonstrators. Now the public space is filled with tasteful sculptures depicting the past and the hope for the future. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s permanent exhibits provide an insight into the civil rights struggle.
In Arkansas: Little Rock
- It was a news clip seen around the world in 1957 as nine African-American students entered the newly integrated Little Rock Central High School. Thirty-minute tours are given on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Little Rock is also filled with other sites of interest and more can be found on their suggested itinerary.
In Georgia: Atlanta
- You remember his "dream" speech, but how much do you know about the man himself? Learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr., at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in the city. Tour his birth home, and view exhibits detailing his work. See Ebenezer Baptist Church were King was baptized and later ordained as a minister. Visit Paschal’s, a restaurant not only known for its fabulous fried chicken, but also served as a meeting spot for many key figures involved in the movement.
In Mississippi: Jackson, McComb
- The city of Jackson has a self-guided driving tour of important sites during the movement. The tour takes you to Tougaloo College, home to an extensive collection/exhibit of photographs, documents and more of the movement in Mississippi.
- McComb’s Civil Rights driving tour features 15 key sites involved in the movement.
In Tennessee: Memphis
- The city known for Elvis, barbecue and blues is also home to Lorraine Hotel. This was where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. In 1991, converted hotel opened its doors as the National Civil Rights Museum. Exhibits include a look into sit-ins, as well as James Meredith’s battle to be the first African-American admitted to University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in 1961.
In Washington, D.C.:
- D.C.’ s Civil War to Civil Rights: Downtown Heritage Trail tour includes seeing the hotel where King finished his powerful "I Have a Dream" speech.
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POSTED IN: Cities of the South, History, Museums, Things to See in Alabama, Things to See in Arkansas, Things to See in DC, Things to See in Georgia, Things to See in Mississippi, Things to See in Tennessee, black history month
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