Exterior of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.

Alabama Civil Rights Legacy

Alabama, the cradle of the civil rights movement, offers a deeply moving and educational journey through its pivotal role in shaping the course of American history. The state, rich with historical landmarks, is an essential destination for anyone looking to immerse themselves in the stories and struggles that fueled the fight for equality. With the innovative Civil Rights app, visitors can explore Alabama's civil rights landmarks, from the Rosa Parks Museum to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, or walk the iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Experience the profound lessons of courage, sacrifice, and perseverance that continue to inspire us today. Alabama's civil rights history is a testament to the enduring spirit of those who dared to challenge the status quo, making it a must-visit for all who seek to understand the depth and complexity of America's journey toward justice.

Discover the Rich Heritage of the Alabama Civil Rights Legacy

Experience the pivotal moments, from the Selma to Montgomery marches to the courageous expeditions of the Freedom Riders.


Struggles and Triumphs: Alabama’s Role i...

Alabama has a rich and complex history within the Civil Rights Movement and has served as the focal point for pivotal events that shaped the fight for equal rights that shaped our nation.

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48 Hours in Birmingham

This year, in conjunction with other Birmingham civil rights champions, the city will recognize the 60th anniversary of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement.

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Hit the Road To Explore Gee’s Bend

In the Southwest rural corner of the state of Alabama, there is a small parcel of land called Gee’s Bend. Gee’s Bend is surrounded by the Alabama River and it is only accessible by ferry.

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Civil Rights: Tracing Selma to Montgomer...

After winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and in 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began focusing his attention on Black voter registration in Selma, Alabama.

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Experience Alabama's Civil Rights Trail.

In two 25-minute episodes of Travels With Darley , Darley Newman takes viewers to some of the most historic sites along Alabama’s Civil Rights Trail where she interviews those who participated in the movement as well as those who are making an impact in shaping the Alabama of today.

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Visit Alabama’s African American Histori...

Alabama played a critical role in shaping civil rights history. Key events that forged the state’s significance in how the movement advanced forward are forever ingrained in our lives, as a people and as a state.

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MLK Day is a day for quiet reflection.

Next Monday, we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. The state of Alabama played a critical role in the Civil Rights Movement.

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New Civil Rights Trail Book: History of ...

Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department, launches new book about the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

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Podcast Tells History of the Civil Right...

The Alabama Tourism Department's new Civil Rights Trail podcast takes you behind the scenes of the Civil Rights Movement. The three-part series will introduce listeners to the people, places and events that played a role in the movement and which ultimately shaped a nation.

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Tour the Alabama Civil Rights Trail

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail features locations from 14 states that continue to play an important role in the fight for civil rights. Alabama is home to 30 stops along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, and each one tells the stories and retraces the steps of civil rights trailblazers...

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Featured Locations & Events

The Legacy Lives! Hear it

The Alabama Civil Rights Trail podcast adds a new dimension to how this history is told.

Hear Stories of the Movement and Their Morals for Today

The Alabama Civil Rights Trail Podcast features real stories of real people who were there. They were the foot soldiers who held the front lines of the Movement. They were the freedom riders and protestors. They sat when people ordered them to leave. By telling their stories, they’ll be remembered and shared. And with the help of historians and other experts, we can learn why the events and actions from decades ago remain so relevant today.

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Alabama Civil Rights Trail Podcast

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The Legacy Lives Here

Explore these attractions and more when you visit our civil rights destinations.

People looking at statues at Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

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Toy airplane at Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

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Inside view of Rosa Parks Museum and Childrens Wing

Rosa Parks Museum and Childrens Wing

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Fallen memorial at Civil Rights Memorial Center

Civil Rights Memorial Center

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Outside view of Freedom Rides Museum/ Historic Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station

Freedom Rides Museum/ Historic Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station

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Street view of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church

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Find an Alabama Civil Rights Experience

Explore civil rights locations you should visit the next time you're here.
Historic Site
2800 Poplar Avenue Northwest
Huntsville, AL 35816
In 1866, Congress passed legislation establishing two cavalries composed of African-Americans. After...

Historic Site
144 West 4th Street
Anniston, AL 36201
The Anniston Civil Rights Trail recognizes and remembers key events, significant sites and people in...

Historic Site
16th St N and 6th Ave N
Birmingham, AL 35203
Now a national monument, the Birmingham Civil Rights District includes the sites of upheaval during ...

Historic Site
Corner of East 9th Street & Noble Street
Anniston, AL 36201
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Museum
202 Lancaster Street
Wetumpka, AL 36092
Located in the first county training school for African-Americans in Elmore County, facility is rich...

Historic Site
801 6th Avenue, University of Alabama campus
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Foster Auditorium is the site of the June 11, 1963 "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door", a pivotal point ...

"Civil rights decisions made by Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. in the Montgomery federal courthouse, sev...

Historic Site
4295 County Road 29
Alberta, AL 36720
The Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy invites you to explore a community whose contributions to the histor...

Visitor Center
950 22nd Street North
Birmingham, AL 35203
To be in Birmingham is to be in the arms of the South…with its engaging topography and all its natur...

Bed And Breakfast
1632 South Court Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
The 5,000-sq.-ft. grand mansion rebuilt around 1915 sits upon a hill overlooking the historic Garden...

Historic Site
3233 29th Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35207
Nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 1901 Gothic-style church was headquarters for the Alabama...

Historic Site
903 South Holt Street
Montgomery, AL 36108
First organized as a part of Bethel Baptist Church, Holt Street Church was built in 1913. Reverend A...

Historic Site
1416 Lapsley Street
Selma, AL 36701
This structure houses memorabilia and artifacts from the Civil Rights Movement in Selma. Leaders su...

Former site of what is now Alabama State University in Montgomery, school was founded in 1867 by fre...

Historic Site
801 6th Ave.
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
The beautifully landscaped entryway to the University of Alabama's Foster Auditorium is named for th...

Bed And Breakfast
2310 County Road 89
Tuskegee, AL 36083
Contact Rayborn Manor Bed and Breakfast at: Telephone 334-339-1795 (Voice) or 334-339-2885 (Text); E...

Guides Tours Or Ri...
Various locations in Birmingham
Birmingham, AL
Red Clay Tours offers multiple tours each day here in Birmingham, AL. From Civil Rights tours to His...

Guides Tours Or Ri...
200 Church Street Southwest
Huntsville, AL 35801
Visitors to Alabama looking for Huntsville tours need not look any further. We offer a variety of to...

View monuments dedicated to the leaders of the Voting Rights Movement. Park includes trails through...

Administered by the National Park Service. The site is comprised by two interpretive centers, one i...

Historic Site
1431 Broad Street
Selma, AL 36701
Civil Rights activists from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference held one of the first mass ...

Historic Site
2048 West Fairview Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36108
The Interpretive Center features a rich, extensive collection of photos that share the experience of...

Museum
12021 County Road 29
Boykin, AL 36723
A gallery in the heart of Gee’s Bend.

Museum
P.O. Box 1557, 428 West Willow Street
Scottsboro, AL 35768