Roll Tide Roll!
Rachael and I woke early to begin our adventure. Of course, it wasn't until we arrived in Montgomery that we realized our adventure did not need to begin quite that early. Both Rachael and I forgot that Bama is in Central time zone. We arrived dutifully right before 9 am (or so we thought) to get into the Civil Rights Memorial Center at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Since we had an hour to kill, Rachael and I went exploring.
Our first stop: The First White House of the Confederacy. Although Jefferson Davis and his family lived there for only about five months until it was decided the capital of the South would be in Richmond, the house was well-chosen and continues to be well-maintained. Basically, it is most likely the only museum dedicated to Jefferson Davis (since he is not considered a US President). The house is beautiful, where you can sip your mint julep on the front porch swing as you stare directly at comings and goings at the Alabama Capitol building. The house has many of the original furnishings and possessions of the Davis family-even some from the house in Richmond. I was surprised to learn that Davis had been recognized by leaders in other countries as a head of state. For example, the museum had gifts that his family had received from the likes of the Sultan of Turkey! The house also had many artifacts from the Confederacy in general - battle flags, weapons, uniforms, Lee memorabilia, etc. It was a pleasant sidetrip.
Next stop: Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. It was at this church that Martin Luther King, Jr. served as senior pastor from 1954 to 1959. The timing could not have been better for history. It was in the basement of this church where the Montgomery bus boycott was planned and organized. It was also in this church that twice a week rallies were held during the year-long boycott to buoy everyone's spirits and morale. It was during the boycott that King had the mantle placed upon his shoulders that would become his burden, his cross to bear as leader of the movement. He welcomed it.
Third stop: The Civil Rights Memorial Center at the SPLC. As a member (woohoo!), I not only had admission waived, but I got to actually see my name on the Wall of Tolerance. The museum is small but one not soon to be forgotten nor overlooked. The Center is situated so that no matter which direction you face, you can see the location of a significant event in the movement. The short tour starts with learning the stories of some of the innocent who first lost their lives - such as Emmett Till. He was a 14 year old boy from Chicago who was dared by boys in Mississippi (where he was visiting relatives) to talk to a white woman. Being from the north, he eagerly took the challenge and spoke to a shopowner's wife ("Bye baby"). He was taken from his uncle's house, tortured, beaten, killed, attached to cement, and thrown into the river - where he was discovered three days later. His mother demanded an open coffin so the world could see what was going on. And, people began to pay attention. The presentation on these martyrs is solidified with a video. The rest of the tour focuses on others who have lost their lives to injustice and intolerance since the Civil Rights Movement. It concludes with the Wall of Tolerance and the memorial created outside by the same designer, Maya Lin, as the Vietnam Wall in D.C.
After taking a quick drive by Court Square, where the slave auctions had been held, and the Greyhound bus station, where the Freedom Riders in 1961 were attacked by a huge mob, we arrived at Troy University. Troy University's theater was the site of the arrest of Rosa Parks. Accordingly, the university has funded a museum in her honor. The museum begins with a video, then a reenactment in an actual Montgomery city bus. With the words she spoke when threatened with arrest, "You may do that," Rosa Parks became the mother of the Civil Rights movement. She was fined $10 plus $4 in court costs. The 377 days of the bus boycott, beginning in December of 1955 and ending in December of 1956, was a huge organizational success. The museum takes you through the year of the boycott, highlighting the struggles for the demonstrators (losing their jobs, harassment, etc.) and the judicial battle to officially end segregation of public transportation. The boycott cost the bus line about $3000 a day! It ended up being a success for the organizers, but they did have to concede on a few points. The fight, though, had just begun. This is why Montgomery, once known as the "Cradle of the Confederacy," now became known as the "Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement."
On to Birmingham....just north up the road a bit...
We started with a quick visit to the 16th Avenue Baptist Church. This church witnessed many of the events in the city at that time as it sits downtown diagonally to Kelley Ingram Park. It is here that shortly after the March on Washington that four girls died after the church was bombed. Two other boys were killed by random acts of violence in the city that day. It was the deaths of these young innocent souls that sparked national attention to the causes of the movement - especially in D.C. These bombings and several more earned the city a new nickname - "Bombingham." The case was reopened several times, and the last of the bombers were tried in 2002 and 2004! The Children's March was launched from this church. The students were immediately met across the street by police dogs and fire hoses - ordered by Bull Connor, the Commissioner of Public Safety. The video and photographic footage of this brutality led to a nationwide outcry against such violence, particularly as the students had been prompted to meet the violence with nonviolence. The photos of the students with their hands behind their heads or backs as they are pelted with water or bitten by dogs speaks volumes to the character behind the movement. Kelley Ingram Park is graced with various statues that represent the forms of brutality endured by the youth. You can also follow two paths that have visual markers as they lead you on the routes of the marches through downtown Birmingham.
For over three hours, Rachael and I enjoyed the Civil Rights Institute. The museum is filled with artifacts, video footage, audio commentary, and the layout is designed so you follow a timeline that depicts national events and the corresponding Alabama events. Although Birmingham was built by people of both colors as a coal and iron city in 1871, segregation had always been the custom. In 1921, it became the law. These laws were called "Jim Crow" after a popular minstrel song sung by traveling troupes. The museum walks you through visual displays showing the disparity between white life in the city and the life of the colored people. These displays ranged from theaters to schools to houses to churches. As you walked through the displays, you could read about how the segregation laws became more and more intensified and strictly enforced. The popular use of negative stereotyping helped instill hatred and intolerance in the minds of whites. For example, images often depicted blacks with big lips, stuttering, and eating watermelon - which by the way, was a favorite food of slaves because eaten after a meal, watermelon cleans out your system since the slaves were given the worst of the food such as pig brains. At the end of your walk through the museum, there are displays on fights for rights throughout the world such as Tienamen Square and South Africa. The last room is full of computers, where you can listen to oral accounts of the people who were living these events. Some of the best commentaries were from Reverend Shuttlesworth and the first girl to integrate a school in Birmingham.
We finished the day with real Alabama barbeque at Dreamland. Mmm mmm mmm!
Rachael and I woke early to begin our adventure. Of course, it wasn't until we arrived in Montgomery that we realized our adventure did not need to begin quite that early. Both Rachael and I forgot that Bama is in Central time zone. We arrived dutifully right before 9 am (or so we thought) to get into the Civil Rights Memorial Center at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Since we had an hour to kill, Rachael and I went exploring.
Our first stop: The First White House of the Confederacy. Although Jefferson Davis and his family lived there for only about five months until it was decided the capital of the South would be in Richmond, the house was well-chosen and continues to be well-maintained. Basically, it is most likely the only museum dedicated to Jefferson Davis (since he is not considered a US President). The house is beautiful, where you can sip your mint julep on the front porch swing as you stare directly at comings and goings at the Alabama Capitol building. The house has many of the original furnishings and possessions of the Davis family-even some from the house in Richmond. I was surprised to learn that Davis had been recognized by leaders in other countries as a head of state. For example, the museum had gifts that his family had received from the likes of the Sultan of Turkey! The house also had many artifacts from the Confederacy in general - battle flags, weapons, uniforms, Lee memorabilia, etc. It was a pleasant sidetrip.
Next stop: Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. It was at this church that Martin Luther King, Jr. served as senior pastor from 1954 to 1959. The timing could not have been better for history. It was in the basement of this church where the Montgomery bus boycott was planned and organized. It was also in this church that twice a week rallies were held during the year-long boycott to buoy everyone's spirits and morale. It was during the boycott that King had the mantle placed upon his shoulders that would become his burden, his cross to bear as leader of the movement. He welcomed it.
Third stop: The Civil Rights Memorial Center at the SPLC. As a member (woohoo!), I not only had admission waived, but I got to actually see my name on the Wall of Tolerance. The museum is small but one not soon to be forgotten nor overlooked. The Center is situated so that no matter which direction you face, you can see the location of a significant event in the movement. The short tour starts with learning the stories of some of the innocent who first lost their lives - such as Emmett Till. He was a 14 year old boy from Chicago who was dared by boys in Mississippi (where he was visiting relatives) to talk to a white woman. Being from the north, he eagerly took the challenge and spoke to a shopowner's wife ("Bye baby"). He was taken from his uncle's house, tortured, beaten, killed, attached to cement, and thrown into the river - where he was discovered three days later. His mother demanded an open coffin so the world could see what was going on. And, people began to pay attention. The presentation on these martyrs is solidified with a video. The rest of the tour focuses on others who have lost their lives to injustice and intolerance since the Civil Rights Movement. It concludes with the Wall of Tolerance and the memorial created outside by the same designer, Maya Lin, as the Vietnam Wall in D.C.
After taking a quick drive by Court Square, where the slave auctions had been held, and the Greyhound bus station, where the Freedom Riders in 1961 were attacked by a huge mob, we arrived at Troy University. Troy University's theater was the site of the arrest of Rosa Parks. Accordingly, the university has funded a museum in her honor. The museum begins with a video, then a reenactment in an actual Montgomery city bus. With the words she spoke when threatened with arrest, "You may do that," Rosa Parks became the mother of the Civil Rights movement. She was fined $10 plus $4 in court costs. The 377 days of the bus boycott, beginning in December of 1955 and ending in December of 1956, was a huge organizational success. The museum takes you through the year of the boycott, highlighting the struggles for the demonstrators (losing their jobs, harassment, etc.) and the judicial battle to officially end segregation of public transportation. The boycott cost the bus line about $3000 a day! It ended up being a success for the organizers, but they did have to concede on a few points. The fight, though, had just begun. This is why Montgomery, once known as the "Cradle of the Confederacy," now became known as the "Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement."
On to Birmingham....just north up the road a bit...
We started with a quick visit to the 16th Avenue Baptist Church. This church witnessed many of the events in the city at that time as it sits downtown diagonally to Kelley Ingram Park. It is here that shortly after the March on Washington that four girls died after the church was bombed. Two other boys were killed by random acts of violence in the city that day. It was the deaths of these young innocent souls that sparked national attention to the causes of the movement - especially in D.C. These bombings and several more earned the city a new nickname - "Bombingham." The case was reopened several times, and the last of the bombers were tried in 2002 and 2004! The Children's March was launched from this church. The students were immediately met across the street by police dogs and fire hoses - ordered by Bull Connor, the Commissioner of Public Safety. The video and photographic footage of this brutality led to a nationwide outcry against such violence, particularly as the students had been prompted to meet the violence with nonviolence. The photos of the students with their hands behind their heads or backs as they are pelted with water or bitten by dogs speaks volumes to the character behind the movement. Kelley Ingram Park is graced with various statues that represent the forms of brutality endured by the youth. You can also follow two paths that have visual markers as they lead you on the routes of the marches through downtown Birmingham.
For over three hours, Rachael and I enjoyed the Civil Rights Institute. The museum is filled with artifacts, video footage, audio commentary, and the layout is designed so you follow a timeline that depicts national events and the corresponding Alabama events. Although Birmingham was built by people of both colors as a coal and iron city in 1871, segregation had always been the custom. In 1921, it became the law. These laws were called "Jim Crow" after a popular minstrel song sung by traveling troupes. The museum walks you through visual displays showing the disparity between white life in the city and the life of the colored people. These displays ranged from theaters to schools to houses to churches. As you walked through the displays, you could read about how the segregation laws became more and more intensified and strictly enforced. The popular use of negative stereotyping helped instill hatred and intolerance in the minds of whites. For example, images often depicted blacks with big lips, stuttering, and eating watermelon - which by the way, was a favorite food of slaves because eaten after a meal, watermelon cleans out your system since the slaves were given the worst of the food such as pig brains. At the end of your walk through the museum, there are displays on fights for rights throughout the world such as Tienamen Square and South Africa. The last room is full of computers, where you can listen to oral accounts of the people who were living these events. Some of the best commentaries were from Reverend Shuttlesworth and the first girl to integrate a school in Birmingham.
We finished the day with real Alabama barbeque at Dreamland. Mmm mmm mmm!
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