My Journey: Alabama

Globe hopping 32 / My journey

Bang to rights in Alabama

Andy Facer enjoys a tour of Civil Rights sites in Alabama, a state at the heart of events that sparked the end of racial segregation in the USA

“W hat happened here changed the World,” says our guide and my colleague Rosemary as we cross the Mississippi border into Alabama.

We are three hours into our motorcoach drive from New Orleans to Selma, where we will begin our tour of some of the pivotal moments in the American Civil Rights story.

First stop, Selma

Our fi rst stop is the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama, a town infamous for the march to Montgomery in 1965.

As we sit down in the basement of the church to a lunch of fried chicken, collard greens and black-eyed peas, we are introduced to JoAnne Bland – and when JoAnne speaks you listen!

Born and raised in Selma, JoAnne shares her experiences of how racism and segregation created huge divides in the town and across the nation.

By the time she was 11 she had been arrested 13 times and was a participant in 'Bloody Sunday', marching with 600 others across Edmund Pettus Bridge – where they were met by tear gas and police beatings.

We walk across the bridge, trying to imagine those events in 1965.

I look back and notice the recently reopened and refurbished St James Hotel, part of Hilton’s Tapestry collection. This downtown property should be a game changer for Selma. Jake Williams of Montgomery Tours keeps us entertained on the 54-mile trip to Montgomery – a route he walked nearly half a century earlier.

Instead of heading straight for the hotel, we follow the same route the march took in Montgomery, around Court Square Fountain and up Dexter Avenue to the State Capitol Building.

Infl uential Montgomery

Leaving Montgomery’s Embassy Suites Hotel, we are greeted by Michelle Browder, our city guide. A larger-than-life character, she is wearing red glasses and gives us all a pair to mimic her look.

Our tour starts on Montgomery’s Riverfront. Home to a paddle steamer, amphitheatre and baseball stadium, this is now a fun area – but it has a dark past.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth century, slaves from Africa would arrive by boat and, in chains, walk up Commerce Street where they were sold in the auction houses around Court Square Fountain.

We arrive at Dexter Avenue, one of the most historically important streets in the USA. To my right is the Winter House, from where the telegram that started the American Civil war was sent; opposite is the bus stop where Rosa Parks boarded her bus; and at the top of the road is the State Capitol building, where Martin Luther King Jr. made his ‘How Long, Not Long’ speech.

In the shadow of the State Capitol Building is Dexter Avenue King Baptist Memorial Church, the only Church the Baptist minister and activist ever pastored at.

For visitors, compact Montgomery is a

very walkable city. A historical and cultural gem, it is one of the most important cities on We arrive at Dexter Avenue, probably one of the most his tor icall y impor tant streets in the USA the US Civil Rights Trail. 'From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration' are the words that greet visitors at the entrance to the new Legacy Museum. The facility opened in 2018 but quickly became so popular that it had to move to bigger premises fi ve times the size of the original property. A world-class museum, it combines interactive modern technology, historical research and art to explain how slavery and its impact continue to infl uence the nation. Viewing the exhibits is a humbling experience and I could easily stay all day. A short distance away is the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. “The nation’s fi rst memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved black people; people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow (a series of rigid anti-black laws). The Memorial uses sculpture and art to symbolise racial terror. Our day also takes us to the Freedom Rides Museum, Rosa Park Museum and Dr. King's parsonage – a fascinating but overwhelming immersion in Civil Rights history. Then it is on to Birmingham, the 'Magic City'.

Bravery in Birmingham

Birmingham’s newest venue ‘The Fennec,’ with fantastic food and live music, provides us with an entertaining fi rst evening before we retire to The Redmont hotel. Globe hopping My journey / 33

Next morning we experience a Sunday gospel service at the 16th Street Baptist church – what an uplifting experience!

Barry McNealy, our guide for the day, explains the church's painful history.

On September 15, 1963, the building become known around the world when a bomb planted by the Ku Klux Klan exploded, killing four young girls and injuring many more. The incident's worldwide attention helped raise more than $300,000 for the church's restoration fund.

A short walk away is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, another brilliantly interactive museum showcasing the American Civil rights struggles.

On the way there we stare in awe at Vulcan, the world's largest cast iron statuecum-monument at 56-foot tall, named after the Roman God of Fire and Forge, which sits on Red Mountain Park, overlooking Birmingham.

Our fi nal morning sees us at the Barber Motorsports Park and Museum, close to downtown and the airport. Owned by a private collector, the museum has over 1600 vintage and modern motorcycles, with over 950 on display, as well as the largest collection of Lotus cars. It is an ideal fi nal stop before heading to the airport and the fl ight home. alabama.travel •

Book it with...America As You Like It

The operator has a 14-night RV package with Cruise America to Alabama, priced from £1,249pp, based on four people sharing and including return fl ights from Heathrow to Nashville with BA. americaasyoulikeit.com