Civil Rights Memorial Center- Montgomery, AL

I went to Montgomery for one specific museum and ended up getting so many different, awesome experiences that just kept popping up left and right.  One of these treats was the Civil Rights Center.  I literally walked down a street and happened upon it.

I walked in and no one was there to take my money, so the security guard told me to just go through and I could pay when I finished.  I went in, and discovered that it was a really well organized center.  The first thing I did was watch a video on the Civil Rights Movement and the 40 people who died between 1954-1968.  It was a really gut-wrenching, but moving, story.  I think a lot of times it’s easy to hear about this issue in a history book, and we think that it is just a thing of the far past or something we don’t understand completely.  But watching videos or hearing the stories of the brutality placed on others for any reason at all, but in this case, the color of their skin, was hard to watch and eye-opening.

After watching the video I went into the room pictured above.  From that window you can see the memorial fountain.  Also there are plaques on the wall with a photo and description of each of those forty people who were killed in this movement.  Then, the little stands spun and pointed in the direction of different places that were influential in the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery.  Very cool!

My favorite part of this museum was the hall leading into the Wall of Tolerance.  This center has done a really impressive job at emphasizing the importance of civil rights and equality issues, and the fact that inequality and injustice still exists today.  They had plaques with others who have been killed since 1968 based on issues like gender, religion, race, sexual orientation and more…  It’s really eye-opening and reminds you that the fight is not over!

This hall leads you into the Wall of Tolerance which was really incredible!  I was really excited to add my name to this list and promise to take a stand against hate and intolerance in my everyday life!

So great!  After leaving the room with the Wall of Tolerance, I exited into the gift shop, which was filled with really great books on the Civil Rights Movement from the past, and issues today!  I also went to pay, and the woman at the desk was incredibly sweet, and wouldn’t let me pay, so I made a donation instead!  It was a really great experience!

It was a wicked cold day, and the wind was fiercely blowing causing a sheet of water blowing off the side of this fountain, so I didn’t get a lot of really great photos of it.  The fountain has the name of the forty martyrs engraved on it.  It is really beautiful.

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