Tour the Alabama Civil Rights Trail
February 2021
The Alabama Civil Rights Trail includes over 40 locations throughout the state. Each location tells the stories and retraces the steps of civil rights trailblazers such as Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Read on to learn more about our state's role in the civil rights movement and a few places that you can visit along the trail. To dive deeper into the people, places and events that brought Alabama into the international spotlight and changed the course of history, download our Alabama Civil Rights Trail app.
Freedom Riders National Monument
The Freedom Riders National Monument is the site of the 1961 bus burning and the former Greyhound Bus Station. This monument honors the Freedom Riders’ achievements in their fight against segregation on public transportation. Murals in the alleyways of the old Greyhound Bus Station depict scenes from when the Freedom Riders were violently attacked by angry mobs. These events drew international attention to the Freedom Riders’ mission and the state of race relations in the United States. Today, you can visit this monument and reflect on the achievements of this courageous group of civil rights activists.
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Established in 1873, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was Birmingham’s first Black church and played a significant role in the civil rights movement. It was a popular meeting place for many civil rights activities in Birmingham, but on September 15, 1963, the church became known around the world when a bomb exploded killing four young girls: Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Denise McNair and Carole Robertson. This event resulted in world condemnation of racial violence and was a major turning point in Birmingham’s civil rights protest. This event became a rallying cry for unity across the country, forcing the federal government to take action on civil rights legislation.
Foster Auditorium
Foster Auditorium located on The University of Alabama’s campus is the site of the infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” incident that occurred on June 11, 1963. On this day, Governor George C. Wallace stood in the doorway of the building on registration day to prevent two Black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from enrolling in the university. In response to this incident, President John F. Kennedy called on the Alabama National Guard to protect the students and allow them to enter. This event marked the beginning of school desegregation in the state and is known as one of the most influential events of the civil rights movement. The auditorium is listed as a National Historic Landmark and is still in use by the university.
Edmund Pettus Bridge
Located on the Alabama River, the Edmund Pettus Bridge was the scene of “Bloody Sunday,” a day when law enforcement officers brutally attacked over 600 peaceful protesters participating in a march for voting rights. Led by John Lewis and Hosea Williams, the group was met by a line of Alabama law enforcement officials armed with gas canisters, bull whips and night sticks as the marchers approached the end of the bridge. Lewis put another foot forward with Williams by his side, and law enforcement unleashed a wave of violence and brutality that shocked the nation. Lewis was one of the many injured, suffering from a fractured skull. The events that transpired on March 7,1965 led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
National Memorial for Peace and Justice
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is the nation’s only memorial dedicated to the legacy of those deserving justice: enslaved Black people, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow laws, and to more than 6,000 victims of racial terror lynchings during post-Civil War Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras. Throughout the memorial, visitors can walk through 800 steel columns, one for each American county where a racial terror lynching took place. The names of each victim are listed on the columns, and while most victims are listed by name, many are listed as “unknown.” This monument allows visitors to reflect on the history of racial injustice in the United States and stands as a symbolic reminder to never repeat the terror and violence of the past.
For more information on Alabama’s civil rights history, download the Alabama Civil Rights Trail app, or click here.
