Montgomery Alabama and the Civil Rights Movement
Dr King, Rosa Parks the Montgomery Boycott and More in Montgomery AL
Nov 25, 2008
Ninety-three years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans still did not enjoy full rights of citizenship. In 1955, those who chose to try to make changes and to take a stand, or the case of a diminutive lady named Rosa Parks who kept her seat, did so in the face of incredible racial intolerance and often physical violence.
Today, Montgomery, Alabama is recognized as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, where many significant events took place on the city’s streets and in its historic buildings. The pioneers who worked for civil rights, the leaders and the ordinary people, are honored and remembered in a number of memorials and museums.
Visitors to Montgomery may relive the Montgomery boycott when African-Americans chose to not ride the city buses after the arrest of Rosa Parks, see where the Freedom Riders arrived at the former Greyhound Bus Station and walk in the steps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as he preached and led marches up Dexter Avenue to the state capital. Here are the must-see historic sites.
The Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery AL
- Rosa Parks Library & Museum – 252 Montgomery Street, (334) 241-8615, was built on the site where Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man. The result was the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott and the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.
- Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church – 454 Dexter Avenue, (334) 263-3970, the only church where Dr. King was the senior pastor and where he first preached his message of hope and brotherhood, is now a National Historic Landmark.
- Dexter Parsonage Museum – 309 S. Jackson Street, (334) 261-3270, is where Dr. King, his wife Coretta Scott King and their two oldest children, Yolanda and Dexter, lived from 1954 to 1960.
- Civil Rights Memorial – 400 Washington Avenue, (334) 956-8200, sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is a fountain where water flows over a black granite table inscribed with the names of those who died during the Civil Rights Movement. Behind the table is a wall inscribed with excerpts from the Book of Amos quoted by Dr. King.
- Civil Rights Memorial Center – 400 Washington Avenue, (334) 956-8200, includes a film explaining the names on the granite table outside, interactive exhibits and the Wall of Tolerance where visitors may sign their names, pledging to help fight social injustice.
- Former Greyhound Bus Station – corner of Adams and S. Court Street, where the Freedom Riders arrived in Montgomery in 1961 and were attacked by an angry mob. An exhibit explaining the significance of this event is on the outside walls.
- National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture – 1345 Carter Hill Road, (334) 229-4876, on the campus of Alabama State University, the Center offers lectures, research and meeting space and an exhibit room for African-American artists.
For more detailed information on each of the sites mentioned above, see Civil Rights Museum and Memorials, Montgomery AL and Rosa Parks and Dr. King in Montgomery, Alabama.
For more information about the historical sites and things to do in Montgomery, contact the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor Bureau, 300-A Water Street, (334) 261-1100 or (800) 240-9452.
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