The Sacred Ground of 1963: Birmingham’s Civil Rights Struggle
The Sacred Ground of 1963: Birmingham’s Civil Rights Struggle
The Sacred Ground of 1963: Birmingham’s Civil Rights Struggle
From
Highlights
This isn’t a tour—it’s lived history.
Walk the streets of the most segregated city in America as they were experienced by those who lived through its darkest and most defining hour.
Your guide is Wilhelmina Thomas—storyteller, needlewoman, and “craftivist”—who grew up in Birmingham’s Riley, Wenonah, and Hillman communities. She attended the very schools shaped by this city’s history: Wenonah Elementary, Riley Elementary, and Jones Valley High. Her earliest memories include the church, the civic league, and the Civil Rights Movement itself.
This tour reveals the truth beneath the façade—the daily struggles, the acts of defiance, and the sacred spaces where ordinary people did extraordinary things.
Hear personal accounts of life under Jim Crow
Visit Kelly Ingram Park, the 16th Street Baptist Church, and other landmarks
Reflect at the sites of protest, pain, and perseverance
Includes a free “Witness Packet” digital download for direct bookings
They stood. We walk.
Itinerary
Birmingham
15 minsAdmission Ticket FreeYour tour begins at the corner of 3rd ave and 20th street north and proceeds down 20th street toward 4th Ave North covering the Black contributions to the founding of Birmingham4th Avenue North(Pass by)
Admission Ticket FreeThis leg of the tour covers the 1926 Red Line Zoning laws, the Palm Leaf Hotel, and the Chitlin' Circut.Eddie Kendrick Memorial Park
10 minsAdmission Ticket FreeA park and statues dedicated to our local founder of the Temptations4th Avenue Business District(Pass by)
Admission Ticket FreeThe remnants of our once dynamic "city within a city" with possible stop in Nelson Brothers and Green Acres.Civil Rights District(Pass by)
Admission Ticket FreeThis is the center of the Civil Rights National Historic MonumentCarver Theater
10 minsAdmission Ticket FreeOne of the best Black theaters - now the Jazz Hall of Fame...also you will see the Prince Hall "Colored" Masonic LodgeKelly Ingram Park
15 minsAdmission Ticket FreeKelly Ingram Park is an improved public park that contains emotionally powerful sculptures depicting the civil rights struggle in Birmingham. The park served as an assembly spot for activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other groups in the movement.16th Street Baptist Church
15 minsAdmission Ticket Not IncludedThe 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, stands as a poignant symbol of the Civil Rights Movement, marked by its tragic history as the site of a racially motivated bombing in 1963, which resulted in the loss of four young girls. This historic church remains a powerful testament to the struggle for civil rights and a focal point in the ongoing journey toward racial equality in the United States.A.G. Gaston Motel
10 minsAdmission Ticket FreeThe A.G. Gaston Motel, built by prominent African American businessman and entrepreneur, Arthur George Gaston (1892-1996), provided first-class lodging and dining in Birmingham, Alabama, to African American travelers. Designed by Birmingham-based architect Stanley B. Echols, the motel opened in 1954Lyric Theatre
10 minsAdmission Ticket FreeOur only standing theater that allowed mixed (though still segregated) audiences
What's included
INCLUDED
Customer reviews
Additional information
Location
Provider
The Birmingham Historic Touring Company
NZD 119
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