History

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. Events, such as the Selma to Montgomery March, the Birmingham riots and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing along with the arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King and the burning of the Freedom Riders’ bus in Anniston served as turning points in a movement that forever changed America. 

Alabama’s historical perspective in the movement sparked the development of the national Civil Rights Trail featuring historical landmarks and museums that tell the stories of African Americans who have shaped the state and a nation. 

Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site – Tuskegee, Alabama: 

This museum tells the story of the brave African American men of the 332nd Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Corps known as the “Red Tails.”  These brave men flew in WWII and fought the Nazis overseas while fighting segregation at home. The airmen’s flying adventures began at Moton Field airport from 1940-1942 where they trained under the legendary Charles ‘Chief’ Anderson, an instructor for the military at the flight program at Tuskegee. Learn how these men overcame many obstacles to prove they had the right stuff to serve our country during WWII. The...