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Map of the
Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument in Birmingham, AL.
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I
started my day at Kelly Ingram Park. Interpretive signage provides
a walking tour of the park that tells the story of the 1963
Birmingham civil rights campaign. Sculptures dotting the park
illustrate some of the violence that faced the peaceful protestors,
as well as the hope and resilience of the people who stood up for
their rights even under such threats. Diagonally across the street
from the park is the 16th Street Baptist Church, which is still an
active parish. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has exhibits
that tell the story of what happened in Birmingham in 1963 and how
that story fits into a larger civil rights history.
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Top:
Sculptures at Kelly Ingram Park depicting events of 1963.
Interpretive signs along the walkways provide a historical timeline.
Below: The 16th Street Baptist Church.
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Now in its
30th year, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) is housed
in an impressive two-story, 64,000-square-foot building. Visitors
begin their experience in a theatre, where a short film describes
the founding of Birmingham and the African American experience in
post-Civil War Alabama, including in the steel and rail industries,
which were the basis of the city’s economy. With the stage set by
the introductory video, exhibits on segregation and the post-WWI
African American civil rights movement that called for the end of
segregation and discrimination. The emphasis is on Birmingham as
the site of a concentrated effort to desegregate a city with a
sizeable Ku Klux Klan influence, including the demonstrations at
Kelly Ingram Park and the tragic bombing of the 16th Street Baptist
Church, but the exhibits also connect Birmingham’s story with that
of the larger movement. The last exhibit as you wind your way
through the galleries is the Human Rights Gallery, which connects
Birmingham’s struggles for civil rights with movements for human
rights across the U.S. and around the world. Beyond the exhibits,
the BCRI also houses a research center with oral history stations
and hosts periodic public programs and conferences on civil and
human rights. It is a hub of activity in Birmingham, and I think
could be a good model for how MACRI grows over time.
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Top: The
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Middle: Exhibits at
BCRI. Below: Oral history stations and research room at BCRI.
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While I
was in Birmingham, I also had the pleasure of meeting with Carlos
Alemán, BCRI board member and Executive Director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama
(HICA). While
Latinos only make up about 4.8% of Alabama’s population,
Alabama’s Latino population growth was the second highest in the US
between 2000 and 2010, with Mexican Americans making up the
majority of Latinos in Alabama. HICA is a community development and
advocacy organization that
was founded in 1999 to empower Alabama’s Latino
residents, especially around challenges of attaining citizenship,
financial literacy, civic engagement, and legal advocacy. Alabama
isn’t alone in experiencing a surge in its Latino population,
similar demographic changes have been occurring across the Southern
states. As we plan future MACRI exhibits and programs we cannot
forget the South!
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If you go to
Birmingham, there are several Latino markets, including the
supersized Mi Pueblo grocery store.
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Next time, I’ll share memories of what I saw in
Selma and Lowndes County, Alabama.
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