Monday and Tuesday: Montgomery, Alabama

Monday
Monday began with a short walk to the Rosa Parks Museum, which featured a creative and compelling reconstruction of the events leading up to the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, the first successful protest of the 50s and 60s Civil Rights Era. The Bus Boycott saw the emergence of Martin Luther King onto the national stage for the first time, but this museum was built to honour the courage of Mrs Parks, whose refusal to move from her seat and subsequent arrest became the spark for the 12 month Bus Boycott which lead to desegregation of the buses in cities throughout the South.

Unfortunately, photos of the exhibits weren't allowed, but this museum comes highly recommended to anyone who is interested in Civil Rights History.

We consoled ourselves about the lack of photos with a group shot around the bust of Rosa.

The Museum is positioned right beside the bus stop where Rosa made her historic stand.

And just opposite: the Davis Theatre, awkwardly named 

after the leader of the Confederates in the Civil War. 

And just down the road from the site of a former slave auction on 

'Commerce St'. Montgomery was a key centre in the old slave trade. 

And a little further down the road from where the telegram 

was sent to order the first attacks of the US Civil War. 

So there's quite a bit of crucial US history within about a minutes walk.

After getting some lunch and exploring downtown Montgomery (which was very quiet on Easter Monday), we rendezvoused at The Southern Poverty Law Centre. There we heard the stories of some of the martyrs of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the ongoing work of the SPLC in championing Civil and Human Rights causes and opposing the actions of hate groups. This is dangerous work and the Centre is regularly threatened with violence, so security was tight.

 Our guide points to key images and events from the Movement.

We added our names to the 'Pledge Wall', signifying commitment 

to living justly and with respect for human rights. 

Outside the SPLC there is a water feature tribute to those who 

lost their lives during the struggle for Civil Rights. 

Then after a bit of rest at the hotel, we enjoyed an Italian meal out together, which we neglected to take photos of (too busy eating). But we did conclude the evening with a walk down to the very pleasant Riverfront area, which featured a genuine steamboat.

Tuesday
We were met this morning at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church by the wonderful Wanda Battle, the most irrepressible Tour Guide we've come across so far. Her warmth and enthusiasm drew instant Peg comparisons from the girls as she led us around the church where Martin Luther King pastored for 5 years. Stories about the history of the place were interspersed with group renditions of This Little Light of Mine, We Shall Overcome and various snippets of important events and speeches.

 The interior of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

Wanda and Georgia H sharing a moment.

 Outside with Wanda.

Then there was time for a short stop outside the parsonage in Montgomery when Dr King lived. Here in early 1956 he had what is described as his 'epiphany' (read about this here). The house was subsequently bombed by the local KKK, an incident which caused no serious injury, but blew half the front porch off.

After that it was time to bid farewell to Montgomery and its rich history and westward towards Selma. On the way, we stopped at Lownes County Interpretative Centre, which is devoted to telling the story of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March for Voting Rights that is also the subject of the movie Selma.

A display commemorating the marchers, who marched 200 miles (320km) in four days.

The Capitol Building in Montgomery, where the Selma to Montgomery March ended. 

After a bit of downtime at the hotel, we headed out for Mexican food at a wonderful restaurant called Mi Tenampa.