Your comprehensive guide to exploring the US Civil Rights Trail

"History does not belong to us; we belong to history."

― Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The struggle for civil rights in the 1950s and 1960s is such a crucial chapter in the American story that earlier battles for racial equality might not receive the recognition they deserve. This becomes even more evident when examining civil rights in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement.

To grasp the achievements of the civil rights movement, you need to walk the paths of those who fought for liberty and immerse yourself in the civil rights journey where history unfolded.

Established in 2018, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail aims to preserve and disseminate the history of one of the most significant periods in America’s narrative. The trail spans 15 mainly Southern states and Washington, D.C., where crucial civil rights battles unfolded.

The trail is extensive; you'll need to travel by car, train, or plane to embark on your historical journey. With over 100 sites from Kansas to Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, and up through the Carolinas to Delaware, you can explore and witness key moments of the civil rights movement.

Here are a few notable destinations to include in your Civil Rights Trail adventure.

Alabama

Birmingham is recognized as a pivotal location for the civil rights movement, particularly due to the tragic bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963.

The explosion claimed the lives of four young Black girls attending Sunday school. Ironically, the day's lesson was titled, "A Love That Forgives."

This church bombing, which took place just three weeks after Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C., shocked the nation and fueled the resolve of civil rights activists.

Today, the 16th Street Baptist Church continues to serve as an active congregation, with its basement transformed into a museum honoring the four girls. The museum also narrates the church's history since its founding in 1873, featuring the Experience Room, which houses a clock that stopped at 10:22 a.m.—the exact moment of the explosion.

Right across from the church, you will find two additional landmarks on the Civil Rights Trail: the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Kelly Ingram Park.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute serves as a contemporary museum focused on preserving the history of the civil rights movement in Birmingham and Alabama. Within its walls, you can find various artifacts, including the jail cell door that once confined Martin Luther King Jr.

Kelly Ingram Park played a crucial role as a gathering spot for many demonstrations in Birmingham, spearheaded by King, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, and others.

Today, the park has transformed into a sculpture garden that showcases impactful art designed to convey the poignant stories of Birmingham's civil rights struggle.

Additional markers on the Civil Rights Trail in Alabama include the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, infamous for the tragic events of "Bloody Sunday," where voting rights marchers were violently confronted.

Named after a former Confederate brigadier general, U.S. senator, and leader of Alabama's Ku Klux Klan, the bridge stands as a stark reminder of the Jim Crow era. Recently, the remains of civil rights leader John Lewis were carried across this very bridge, where he narrowly escaped death on Bloody Sunday.

In Montgomery, you will discover the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, featuring 805 suspended steel rectangles that symbolize the counties across the United States where lynchings have been recorded.

Also located in Montgomery is a museum honoring Rosa Parks, situated at the very spot of her historic bus arrest.

Louisiana

The historic Treme neighborhood in New Orleans, recently popularized by an HBO series sharing its name, is part of the Civil Rights Trail.

Treme is recognized as the oldest African American neighborhood in the country. During the 18th and 19th centuries, it was also a place where free people of color could buy land, even amidst the ongoing institution of slavery.

Numerous museums celebrate African American life and culture. Just a short walk from the French Quarter, Louis Armstrong Park is a public space dedicated to the legendary jazz musician.

Georgia

A notable stop on the Civil Rights Trail in Atlanta features the birthplace and final resting place of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. Visitors can explore King's childhood home and pay their respects at his burial site within the King Center.

Mississippi

You can traverse the Freedom Trail, which highlights individuals and locations that played pivotal roles in the civil rights movement. Established in 2011, it serves as a guide to Mississippi's rich civil rights history.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum located in Jackson is the only museum in the state that comprehensively explores the civil rights movement. Since its opening in 2017, it has placed significant emphasis on the killings of Medgar Evers and Emmett Till.

Tennessee

Along the banks of the Mississippi River lies the National Civil Rights Museum at the historic Lorraine Motel, the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was tragically assassinated on April 4, 1968.

Clinton High School in Clinton, Tennessee, is another key historical site. It honors the Clinton 12 — a group of African American students — who made their first day of school on August 26, 1956, following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education.

Though Clinton High School became the first public high school in the South to integrate, the process was fraught with challenges, including protests and riots, culminating in a bombing of the school after hours a year later.

The Clinton 12 are honored by life-size bronze statues that are displayed in front of the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in the town.

Virginia

A recent addition to the Civil Rights Trail is the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, which holds significance for both the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement.

This Danville location joins Farmville and Richmond as one of three designated sites on the trail in Virginia. In the 1960s, Danville, known as "the last capital of the Confederacy," was the scene of some of the most intense confrontations in Civil Rights history.

The former Confederate mansion, now a public library, has been transformed into the Museum, and in 1960, a group of demonstrators conducted a sit-in at the library. Instead of allowing Black patrons, Danville officials opted to shut the library down.

Subsequent demonstrations advocating for racial equality encountered fierce opposition, with the summer of 1963 marking the peak of these confrontations.

Washington, D.C.

While the District of Columbia wasn’t a battlefield in the civil rights struggle, significant battles for equality were fought in the U.S. Supreme Court, particularly the landmark ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education, which declared school segregation unconstitutional.

The Lincoln Memorial is also the site where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington — one of the largest human rights demonstrations in U.S. history. A marble marker on the steps marks the spot where King stood.

Along the National Mall, you'll find the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This Smithsonian institution is the only national museum solely focused on the African American experience.

Keep discovering

Along the Civil Rights Trail, there are significant monuments, museums, and markers in other states that deserve attention. Missouri, Kansas, the Carolinas, Delaware, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, and West Virginia all contributed significantly to the civil rights movement.

The Civil Rights Trail is continuously expanding as new sites and attractions are regularly added.

Retracing the journey of "good trouble" is essential to honor the achievements of leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis. We must engage with the lessons of history to ensure they are remembered for future generations.