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23 June to Mobile, Alabama
Before leaving Birmingham I visited the Civil Rights Institute and took a guided tour. It was well worth th3e extra. As the guide was very knowledgable on her subject and it is easier to assimilate spoken information rather than reading all the plates on the exhibits. The museum concentrates on the history of civil rights of coloureds in the South, but the last few exhibits are a reminder that civil rights is still a major issue in many parts of the world. The museum has a mass of photos of all aspects, including lynchings, KKK meetings with the fiery cross and the news stories around the riots I mentioned in yesterday's blog. Exhibits also included a full Ku Klux Klan uniform and regalia, the armoured police vehicle used in the suppressions, and many examples of black versus white facilities. For instance, they had two classrooms. The white one was well equipped with modern furniture and new books, whereas the coloured had old desks and equipment, and only ever got books handed down from the white class. The coloureds held about 90% of the manual jobs in the local heavy industries (e.g. mining) and were paid only up to 60% of what a white man doing the same work would get. There was a story about a coloured actress on Broadway who dipped her toe in the hotel pool; the management immediately ordered the pool to be emptied, and the coloured employees had to clean it with toothbrushes.
It also covered the Rosa Parks story. Rosa refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Our guide was keen to point out that, although Rosa deservedly had gained the public eye, she was not the only coloured involved in acts of defiance at the time. This happened in 1955 in Montgomery, where there is a Rosa Parks museum. I had planned to visit this too but decided that there would probably be considerable overlap with the Institute.
As you can tell, I found this an interesting and quite moving topic.
On with the trip. I stopped in Montgomery for a late lunch, but didn't find much to talk about. So after more than 4 hours driving I am in Mobile for a one night stop. Tonight and tomorrow are really just waypoints on my journey, with no specific sightseeing.Early night tonight, after a relaxing spa bath!!
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