June 2021

Travelers can now immerse themselves in civil rights history with the recent release of a new cultural travel book by Alabama Tourism Department Director Lee Sentell

The Official U.S. Civil Rights Trail companion book is designed to bring to life the stories and history of the American civil rights movement. The 128-page hardcover book is chocked full of never before seen images captured by former Southern Living photographer Art Meripol. The book was unveiled by Sentell on June 23 at a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park. Dr. Bernice King, (CEO of The King Center and the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King), Judy Forte, (National Park Superintendent), Mark Jaronski (Deputy Commissioner of Explore Georgia) and other civil rights leaders attended the press conference. 

The book allows travelers to follow the history of the movement while visiting more than 120 landmarks across 14 Southern states that served as battlegrounds for famous marches, activist rallies and non-violent demonstrations. The historic photos printed in the book, paired with the more than 200 images of the landmarks today, underscore the transformative experience of the trail for travelers. The book also provides a way for visitors to share in the journey of the civil rights movement and how “what happened here changed the world.”

Sentell told the audience at the press conference that while the world is still healing from recent events in the fight for racial justice, cultural tourism is more relevant than ever. He went on to say that travelers are visiting the trail in record numbers to connect with stories of courage to gain a deeper understanding of events that took place during the movement. 

He also stated that the trail has garnered regional and international acclaim since the launch of the first-of-its-kind in 2018. The Civil Rights Trail begins with the training of Black Tuskegee pilots in 1941 and through the signing of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It also follows a timeline providing the framework for each decade of the movement. The timeline is made up of 36 major events, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions and Congressional actions. It extends from Topeka, Kansas to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream Speech” in 1963. 

The book also underscores the movement’s present-day relevance by featuring historic destinations such as the National African American Museum of History and Culture a Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., alongside new memorial sites including the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. 

The book was published by Alabama Media Group and can be purchased through their website, on Amazon, at retailers along the trail, and at the King Center including the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta. Copies also are available at select airports including Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta and the Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham. To plan your journey on the trail, visit www.civilrightstrail.com