We have been listening to The Barn by Wright Thompson which traces the history of the barn where Emmitt Till was murdered and maps the generations of hatred, white supremacy and deceit that runs deep in Mississippi (and elsewhere). It is a powerful book, linking moments in history and the Mississippi delta’s evolution (or lack thereof) by connecting the land, slavery, the cotton industry, and the aftermath of the Civil War and situating the horrific murder of a 14 year old boy in a barn in the middle of the Mississippi delta. The author has deep roots in the south and in the town of Drew and is unapologetically seething at the idea that such an act could have occurred so near his home and, even worse, that it was never discussed in his history lessons. It’s full of dates and people and land coordinates and connections that are impossible to keep track of, but it draws you in as he relates the details of the murder and situates it through the lens of history.
We knew we wanted to go to Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham to pay tribute to the many people who tirelessly fought and died for voting rights, equal rights, an end to violence, and many other injustices in our country.
We are camping outside the lovely town of Prattville which has a charming Main Street, lit with festive lights, an Everything Alabama store, a beautiful waterfall tied to a historic gin mill and artesian wells throughout the area. The Main Street was something out of a Hallmark movie and a pleasant surprise after a long drive day.
The next day, in Selma, we found something much different.
As I was listening to our self walking tour, standing outside the St. James Hotel in the shadow of the Edmund Pettus bridge, a mid 40-ish black man approached me, introducing himself as Columbus and asked me where I was from. When I said Utah, he thanked me for visiting Selma and launched into his role as an unofficial tour guide here in memory of his late Uncle Willy who marched with John Lewis on Bloody Sunday and was a role model for him in making sure everyone understands the importance of non violent but committed work towards equal rights. I don’t think he took a breath for the first 3 minutes of talking, explaining his ties to Selma, his commitment to his community, his disappointment of the impoverished and distressed buildings alongside these historic spots and his interest in welcoming us to his town of Selma. He wasn’t wrong….along the central road (Waters Street ), where such brave men and women fought for their rights and literally changed history, the buildings are in shambles, boarded up, falling apart, vacant and in need of some serious attention and regard. The St. James Hotel is an exception, and the NPS is renovating an interpretive center, but it is clear that many of these landmarks of the Selma to Montgomery march, the strategic locations where young men and women literally put their lives on the line just for the right to vote, where MLK and John Lewis and thousands of others poured their hearts into seeking justice, were beaten and jailed, have been unfortunately neglected.
Columbus was optimistic but didn’t mince words, that ever since the tornado in 2023, Selma has been in a death spiral and he and his wife and others are trying their best to be ambassadors for the city and engage investors to help restore the beautiful historic buildings and revitalize the community. We contributed to a 501c3 that they had started which focuses on educating 6-12 year olds, but it felt like such a hollow act. It actually pissed me off that such history, such an important place, such acts of heroism and selflessness felt ignored and unvalued…not by those in Selma, but by all of us in this country.
We heard the story of the St. James hotel where an enslaved man named Ben Turner tended the stables and was eventually put in charge during the Civil War…a rarity when an enslaved black man could be given power. Legend has it that the Union army spared the hotel during the burning of Selma because it was being managed by a black man. Ben eventually got into politics and was the first black man elected to Congress. Amazing story….never heard it before. We walked across the Edmund Pettus bridge ( named for a Confederate general, slave owner, KKK Grand Dragon, and US Senator….ugh. but which John Lewis fought not to be renamed to ensure we remembered the full history of white supremacy and misguided, hateful and loyal allegiance. Columbus thinks we should rename it the Bridge to Freedom and keep the Edmund Pettus sign out of respect to John Lewis’ wishes, but move the sign to the bottom of the bridge so folks could walk over it. Not a bad idea….) We saw the City Hall that jailed John Lewis and MLK, we saw the County Courthouse where they marched to vote, and we saw the Brown Chapel AME Church where the Selma to Montgomery march began….48 miles to the steps of the Alabama capitol.
The town is so run down, dismal and depressed. But the spirits of those who were here fighting almost 60 years ago are still very powerful.
Here’s a link to an excerpt from MLK’s letter from a Selma jail: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/Excerpt%20from%20Selma%20Letter.pdf
Today we went to Montgomery and took another walking tour of the Civil Rights sites there. We started at the Rosa Parks museum and library which is built at the site where she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person. There’s a beautiful portrait of her outside made creatively with black steel spires (inspired by this woman of steel) and you also walk to the bus stop where she stepped onto that bus that fateful day…
From there we walked by the Alabama courthouse where during the Civil Rights struggles, Judge Frank Johnson Jr. made the historic decisions to interpret the new law deeming racial segregation unconstitutional by ruling in favor of both Rosa Parks and MLK’s request to allow the Selma to Montgomery march with police support and protection. Amid death threats and Southern locals demanding continued segregation, he stood firm.
Then it was the Freedom Riders museum which now exists in the Greyhound bus station that historically remained segregated despite the federal laws and where the Montgomery police allowed the KKK several minutes of their own to beat the Freedom Riders once their protection left, before the police interfered. The outside of the museum is covered in their quotes and mug shots. It takes your breath away to think that many of these riders were 18, 19 years old….coming from across the country to ride into hostile territory to ensure federal laws were being followed.
Then we walked to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church (where Dr. King started his pastor calling at 25 years old!!) and ended on the steps of the Alabama Capitol, where the Selma to Montgomery march ended after 3 days. This is where the brilliant orator reminded us “that the arc of the moral universe is long , but it bends toward justice”.
We even stopped in at Chris’ Hot Dogs, which was a MLK favorite and loved by many others….FDR, Elvis, Hank Williams, both Bush presidents, etc……serving since 1917, let’s just say while I Ioved the joint itself, I wasn’t a big fan of the famous hotdog!
While we were focusing on the Civil Rights history, it wasn’t lost on us that the same blocks and buildings we were touring were also central to the Confederacy. The same beautiful promenade that all those brave, mostly black activists marched up at the end of an exhausting 3 days, was the promenade that held the inaugural parade for Jefferson Davis. The building right across from the Dexter Avenue bus stop where Ms. Parks heroically stepped into her legacy, is the Winters Building where the Secretary of War telegraphed General Beauregard in Charleston telling him to shoot the first cannon on Ft. Sumter, starting the Civil War. Unfortunately the Museum for Peace and Justice and Sculpture Garden were closed while we visited….it looks amazing and I was disappointed not to be able to see it.
On a lighter note, we had great BBQ ribs (yes, even after the hotdog) at Dreamland BBQ and walked the Montgomery Biscuits minor league baseball stadium which was charming!
Tomorrow we head to Birmingham, then Memphis and Little Rock….the journey continues….