“You don’t change the world with the ideas in your mind, but with the conviction in your heart.” —Bryan Stevenson (born 1959)

Why plan a civil rights road trip?

Confronting shameful history need not shame us. Bridges to the past need not awaken White fragility. Instead of letting white-washed microhistories stand, learn first hand how Americans cope with discomfiting truths. A ‘vacation’ to civil rights landmarks and Sites of Conscience (www.sitesofconscience.org) where Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities tell their own history is not what Junot Diaz calls a “half-baked get-to-know-our-country-better sleep-in-the-van crazy idea.” It’s a powerful tool of resistance against the rewriting of history in the classroom. If being stuck in a car for days doesn’t sound like fun, there are virtual award-winning exhibits to visit online. But first, check out The National Park Service’s map of sites related to civil rights across America, a powerful tool for trip planning.

SITES IN BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
“The foot soldiers of Birmingham, “by Ronald S. McDowell, Kelly Ingram Park
16th Street Baptist Church
Historic Civil Rights markers, including MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
and so much more…

SITES IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Civil Rights Memorial by Maya Lin, Southern Poverty Law Center
The Legacy Museum, Equal Justice Initiative
The National Memorial to Peace and Justice
1965 National Historic Trail ends at the top of the stairs of the State Capital in Montgomery
and so much more…

SITES IN SELMA, ALABAMA

1965 National Historic Trail begins at the Brown Chapel, African American Episcopal Church
Walk the length of the Edmond Pettus Bridge
National Voting Rights Museum and Institute
Selma Interpretive Center

TOUR MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SITES

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, WASHINGTON D.C.
National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, Memphis, TENNESSEE
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., Atlanta, GEORGIA
Historic markers including MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and Dexter Paronage Museum, Birmingham, ALABAMA

TOUR JOHN BROWN SITES

John Brown Farm State Historic Site, Lake Placid, NEW YORK
Harper’s Ferry Historical Museum and John Brown’s Fort, Harper’s Ferry, VIRGINIA
The Kennedy Farm, Washington County, MARYLAND
Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VIRGINIA

TOUR HARRIET TUBMAN SITES

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway, self-guided driving tour, Eastern Shore of MARYLAND
Harriet Tubman’s home and barn, Auburn, NEW YORK
New York State Equal Rights Heritage and Visitor’s Center, Auburn, NEW YORK
Harriet Tubman Monument by Nina Cooke, Newark, NEW JERSEY
Harriet Tubman’s Grave, Fort Hill Cemetery, Auburn, NEW YORK

SITES TO SEE: MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Civil Rights Memorial by Maya Lin, Southern Poverty Law Center
The Legacy Museum, Equal Justice Initiative
The National Memorial to Peace and Justice
Freedom Monument Sculpture Park
1965 Historic Route from Selma (begins at the Brown Chapel, African American Episcopal Church) and ends in Montgomery (at the top of the stairs of the Alabama State Capital)

DESTINATION: BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Kelly Ingram Park, “The foot soldiers of Birmingham“ by Ronald S. McDowell
16th Street Baptist Church
Historic marker, MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail

DESTINATIONS: JOHN BROWN
John Brown Farm State Historic Site, Lake Placid, NEW YORK
Harper’s Ferry Historical Museum and John Brown’s Fort, Harper’s Ferry, VIRGINIA
The Kennedy Farm, Washington County, MARYLAND
Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VIRGINIA

DESTINATIONS: MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Washington D.C.
National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, Memphis, TENNESSEE
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., Atlanta, GEORGIA
Historic marker, MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, ALABAMA

HARRIET TUBMAN SITES
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway, self-guided driving tour, EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND
Harriet Tubman’s home and barn, Auburn, NEW YORK
New York State Equal Rights Heritage and Visitor’s Center, Auburn, NEW YORK
Harriet Tubman Monument by Nina Cooke, Newark, NEW JERSEY