Museum Monday: Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
June 2017 one of my friends from high school and I did a whirlwind trip from Ohio down to the Gulf Coast and back in one week. Our route included stops in Nashville, Montgomery, New Orleans, Jackson, Mobile, and Birmingham alongside several small towns. We ate good food, shared lots of thoughts and laughs, and learned.
We had been taught the basics of the civil rights movement over our years as students, but seeing places firsthand gave those lessons true meaning. One important museum in this growth was the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. This Alabama museum is located across the street from the Sixteenth St Baptist Church, the site of a horrific bombing in the 1960's that killed four young girls at church.
The museum's exhibits are focused in four main galleries: Movement, Barriers, Confrontation, and Human Rights. While the exhibits had artifacts from the time period, they also worked to recreate some scenes. For example, the crucial role played by the churches in African-American life and fight for equality was not just mentioned but shown with stained glass windows.
One touch that I found powerful was the display showing the discrepancies between life for whites versus life for African Americans.
The Human Rights Gallery expanded the issue beyond what we faced (and face) in America to look at the struggle in other countries such as Argentina and the Desaparecidos. This gallery led into a room where you could spend time with more documents related to the topic.
The museum also has temporary exhibits. While we were there, the main one focused on Latinos which absolutely thrilled me as a Spanish teacher. I really enjoyed this bilingual exhibit which contained a mix of viewpoints from authentic interviews. The hands-on display relating to food was also fun :)
I would definitely recommend putting this museum on your itinerary if you are in the Birmingham area. Also, make sure to take the time to walk in the park across the street and check out the sculptures that continue telling the story of the civil rights movement.
Logistics
$15 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors
No specific parking lot but plenty of street parking available especially around the Kelly Ingram Park.
Closed on Mondays
We had been taught the basics of the civil rights movement over our years as students, but seeing places firsthand gave those lessons true meaning. One important museum in this growth was the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. This Alabama museum is located across the street from the Sixteenth St Baptist Church, the site of a horrific bombing in the 1960's that killed four young girls at church.
The museum's exhibits are focused in four main galleries: Movement, Barriers, Confrontation, and Human Rights. While the exhibits had artifacts from the time period, they also worked to recreate some scenes. For example, the crucial role played by the churches in African-American life and fight for equality was not just mentioned but shown with stained glass windows.
One touch that I found powerful was the display showing the discrepancies between life for whites versus life for African Americans.
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| Classroom |
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| Infant mortality |
The Human Rights Gallery expanded the issue beyond what we faced (and face) in America to look at the struggle in other countries such as Argentina and the Desaparecidos. This gallery led into a room where you could spend time with more documents related to the topic.
The museum also has temporary exhibits. While we were there, the main one focused on Latinos which absolutely thrilled me as a Spanish teacher. I really enjoyed this bilingual exhibit which contained a mix of viewpoints from authentic interviews. The hands-on display relating to food was also fun :)
I would definitely recommend putting this museum on your itinerary if you are in the Birmingham area. Also, make sure to take the time to walk in the park across the street and check out the sculptures that continue telling the story of the civil rights movement.
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| Memorializing the four victims of the church bombing |
Logistics
$15 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors
No specific parking lot but plenty of street parking available especially around the Kelly Ingram Park.
Closed on Mondays
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