Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail

Signage located along 19th Street North

The Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail is an interpretive trail linking historic sites in Birmingham which were important to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. The trail system was incorporated into the regional Red Rock Ridge & Valley Trail System.

The trail has been part of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute's conceptual plan since its opening in 1992. Marjorie White of the Birmingham Historical Society led efforts to gather materials documenting specific sites. Much of that work was published in the 1998 book A Walk to Freedom. Discussions of how to proceed with creating a walking trail passed between the BCRI and Operation New Birmingham for years.

The impetus for translating that work into physical signage was kick-started as an initiative of Birmingham mayor Larry Langford in August 2008, and handed to Director of Capital Projects Renee Kemp-Rotan to develop. He also appointed an advisory board which included Odessa Woolfolk, Marjorie White, Lawrence Pijeaux, Horace Huntley, Victor Blackledge, Karla Calvert, Doris Powell, Kamau Afrika, Nathan Hicks, J. D. Appling, Shirley Floyd and Tommy Wrenn, representing a broad spectrum of preservationists, current and former activists, historians, planners and neighborhood leaders.

In May 2009 the Birmingham City Council approved $1 million from the sale of a city-owned warehouse to the BJCC to be applied toward creating interpretive signage and marketing materials over three years. Working with wayfinding experts Corbin Design of Traverse City, Michigan, journalist Vickii Howell, and local marketing firm Big Communications, Kemp-Rotan proposed a series of 80-inch tall interpretive markers at key sites, often featuring large-size historical photographs taken at the same locations. Additional support was given by the Birmingham Historical Society, the Greater Birmingham Convention and Tourism Bureau, the Birmingham Public Library, the Birmingham Alabama Foot Soldiers, the Birmingham News, and a project committee appointed by Langford.

A public presentation of plans for the trail was held on May 12 at Kelly Ingram Park with a video presentation and a performance by the Carver High School choir and Temple Light Mass Choir. As presented the first phase of the trail would be limited to 35 downtown sites, each of which would be highlighted by an individual marker. 12 additional signs will follow the routes of movement marches. 10 map kiosks will orient visitors within the area of the trail while vehicular signs and other indicators at entry points to the downtown area will assist visitors seeking the district. Most of the signs include reproductions of photographs, quotes from the era, and explanations of the significance of particular locations and events. Lesson plans available to teachers supplement the physical installation.

The first three interpretive signs, describing the "March to Government", were erected on the north side of Kelly Ingram Park on August 17, 2009. The signs were designed by Ford Wiles of Big Communications. An expansion of the trail into Smithfield, East Thomas and Enon Ridge was opened on March 8, 2014.

In the future the trail could be utilized by tour buses and for special events. Kiosks and multi-media presentations as well as landscaping and infrastructure improvements would mark future phases of work.

Trail routes

Route A: March to government

• A1–A14:
  • A1: "Jim Crow on the Books", Kelly Ingram Park
  • A2
  • A3
  • A4
  • A5
  • A6
  • A7: "Marchers on the Run", 6th Avenue North, outside First United Methodist Church
  • A8
  • A9
  • A10
  • A11
  • A12
  • A13
  • A14
• A15 (removed and replaced with a timeline)

Route B: March to retail

• B1–B21:
  • B1: "Don't Tread on Me"
  • B2: "Selective Buying Campaign"
  • B3: "Guards at the Gate"
  • B4: "Black Business Plans"
  • B5: "The New Strategy"
  • B6: "Children Under Pressure"
  • B7: "The Defiant One"
  • B8: "Little Lady in Waiting"
  • B9: "Little Boy Blue"
  • B10: "Courthouse Prayer"
  • B11: "The Bad Guy"
  • B12: "Picketing for a Point"
  • B13: "Equality for All"
  • B14: "Woman in Paddy Wagon"
  • B15: "Music in the Movement"
  • B16: "Let My Brother Go"
  • B17: "Celebrity Star Power"
  • B18: "Integration Corner"
  • B19: "Sitting in for Lunch"
  • B20: "Shutting Down Downtown"
  • B21: "South at the White House"

Route C: Destination

• C1–C35:
  • C16: Colored Masonic Temple
  • C27–C28: (back to back)

Route D: March for education

• D1–D15:

Route E: March to purposeful life

• E1–E20:

Route F: March for Moral Justice

• Includes Bethel Baptist Church and other Collegeville sites

Route G: Letter from Birmingham Jail

• Includes Birmingham City Jail

Route H: March for Fair Housing

• Includes Dynamite Hill

Other sites

Additional signage was installed at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport

References

• Bryant, Joseph D. (May 5, 2009) "Committee approves Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford's civil rights trail funding plan." The Birmingham News
• Mayor's Office of Public Information (May 12, 2009) Embracing Our History: Birmingham Civil Rights Trail
• Hansen, Jeff (August 18, 2009) "First stops on Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail open". The Birmingham News
• "Common Ground: The Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail brought civic groups together while adding another dimension to local tourism" (February 2010) Birmingham magazine
• Kemp-Rotan, Renee (April 12, 2010) "Taking History to the Streets: Raising Historic Awareness/Harnessing Cultural Tourism" Black Design News Network
• Bryant, Joseph D. (March 7, 2014) "Walk, look and learn: Extension of Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail complete, opening Saturday." The Birmingham News