It’s been a whirlwind experience so far in the state of Alabama. Landing in the heart of Mobile to catch beads and Moon Pies at the festivities of Mardi Gras was tons of fun and drop-dead exhausting. After days of celebrations, I left Mobile and headed North to Montgomery, Alabama.
Montgomery is a beautiful city. It has stunning white government buildings and Capitol. I was there to not only feature this Capitol City, but also to begin to follow the trail of Black History in Alabama. Mobile does have some Black history, but I did not have time between the excitement of Mardi Gras to understand it. I will be back in Mobile and I will visit Black churches and memorials then.
Montgomery, however, is steeped in history of Martin Luther King and those who worked with this famous man as they fought for equal rights and Civil Rights. So my first stop was his church. The Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. Dr. King became pastor, the twentieth pastor, in 1954. It would be his first and only full-time pastorate. All that is in the church is the same. Maybe a couple of panes of glass from the windows have been changed, but other than that, it is exactly as he saw it.
I drove from the church just a few blocks away to the parsonage where Martin Luther KIng lived and where he spent time with his wife Coretta, and his new baby girl, Yolanda. I was emotional inside the church, but was even more touched by this small home. Much of the furniture is original and the house seemed so peaceful.
Hard to believe that a bomb hit the window of this living room while Martin Luther King was away from the house. Coretta and baby Yolanda were home, but luckily not near the window.
It was, however, in this kitchen that Dr. King had a revelation that, even though he felt fear, he should continue his important work.
It was only a few blocks away from the church and the parsonage that violence was getting bloody – really bloody. The Freedom Riders (a group of Black activists) were getting on buses and Greyhound was being forced by Attorney General Robert Kennedy to let them ride. The KKK was not too far behind and they were beaten with bats and iron pipes. No ambulance came to the rescue, nor were the police anywhere to be seen. A very dark day in the movement.
It was Rosa Parks that brought it all to a head. This scene is from the Rosa Parks museum in Montgomery.
They are all gone now. Martin Luther, Rosa Parks, the Freedom Riders and many of the courageous men and women who fought the fight and won. All that is left are the monuments like this one to the Civil Rights Movement and all it stood for, only a block from the Dexter Avenue church. It shows all the important dates of the movement and the water running off its black edifice never ceases to flow. Even though Black History month ends tonight, I will continue to do another blog or two to this important subject. As I drive to Birmingham, Selma, Tuskegee and Gees Bend over the next few days, there will be images to show and tales to tell.
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