The United States has a long and genuinely eventful history of fighting for civil rights. Civil rights safeguard equal protection and fair opportunities in life and work for all US citizens. However, this wasn’t always the case because human progress doesn’t come automatically or inevitably. In the 21st century, the land of the free became a champion of propagating equality among all people regardless of their race, ethnicity, the color of skin, gender, and religious beliefs.
Fortunately, every multiculturally outstanding US city has embraced civil liberties and now celebrates its victory. Suppose you wish to learn more about the movement in your neighborhood or consider moving to a town with distinctive civil rights celebrations. In that case, you should contact the best local real estate agents out there!
To understand the civil rights movement and its significance, we must look into the past first and discover the actual scope of minorities’ oppression in the US.
American civil rights movement triumphant
We all learned in history class how the end of the American Civil War effectively ended slavery in 1865. Still, there was a long way ahead for the formerly enslaved’ descendants to be awarded equal rights.
The rise of the Jim Crow laws
After the Civil War, the white majority discouraged African Americans from voting. For this purpose, WASP politicians and officials often employed violent means and legal stipulations even though all adult men were granted suffrage. Racial segregation was sanctioned in 1896 as the Supreme Court passed the bill that upheld discrimination in private businesses.
Politicians in the southern states soon extended the so-called Jim Crow laws to schools, means of transportation, and public spaces. Consequently, the Black minority ended up second-class citizens. The reasoning of the white political elite, namely“separate but equal,” seems revoltingly hypocritical today.
A crucial moment in the fight for civil rights was the foundation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. Members raised their voices against public lynching and struggled for the abandonment of the Jim Crow laws. However, their efforts proved fruitless. Moreover, the white supremacist group, the KKK, gained momentum and expansion between 1910 and 1930.
Still, their involvement proved paramount in the Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka class-action suit to revoke segregation in schools. The case ended with establishing the first integrated American school in 1955. Spurred by this success, a series of civil rights marches, peaceful protests, boycotts, and civil disobedience events (such as the famous Greensboro sit-ins) took place throughout the nation.
Moments that defined history
Famous historical landmarks include the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the admission of the Little Rock Nine. The latter conveys a group of African-American students who were granted entrance to an Arkansas high school for the first time in 1957. Did you know that US universities started integrating Black people only in 1962?
No famous civil rights supporters list would be complete without Martin Luther King and President John F. Kennedy. They raised genuine political awareness for the cause. As a result of their and many others’ endeavors, US states discontinued segregation. As a reminder: Jim Crow laws were enforced between 1876 and 1965 throughout the US!
Let’s look at our favorite US cities where you can discover the most beautiful memorials and museums. Besides, you can explore legendary trails to relive the past.
Walk the Civil Right Trail between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama!
Selma was one of the most significant cities in the civil rights movement. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. started his renowned voting rights march and condemned police brutality in Selma. Five decades later, the reverend’s spiritual followers and countless tourists keep coming back to the city to learn more about the extraordinary struggle. Images of the police hurting peaceful protestors in 1965 will undoubtedly live with us forever.
The National Voting Rights Museum exhibits an impressive collection of panels and photographs depicting events leading to the famous Selma-Montgomery march. Once there, notice the I Was There Wall containing post-it notes and messages from people present at the battleground. Across the street, you’ll find the Civil Rights Memorial Park featuring four granite stones built in honor of the movement’s participants.
You can walk the National Historic Trail, the march’s original route from Brown Chapel Church in Selma to State Capital in Montgomery. Once you arrive at Montogmery, AL, we recommend seeing the Civil Rights Memorial Center. The venue hosts the Martyr Room, the Orientation Theater, Today’s Activist hallway, and the Wall of Justice: A Space of Reflection.
Visiting these two cities and reliving historical moments of such magnitude will be an uplifting experience. You’ll be inspired to continue to carry the torch for social equality!
Greensboro excels in honoring its civil rights heroes.
Besides the previously mentioned sit-ins, the wonderful city of Greensboro, North Carolina, shines as a genuine center of fighting against racial discrimination. You can visit the February One Monument honoring the famous sit-in from 1960. Besides, local officials reestablished the F.W. Woolworth Building into International Civil Rights Center & Museum. Yet, they kept the counter and the seats in their original locations. Additionally, the museum provides its visitors with diverse exhibits and video footage featuring the Greensboro four.
Another important place to see is the Charlotte Hawkins Museum which initially granted outstanding education to more than 2,000 Black students. Don’t skip the Underground Railroad at Guilford College and the Historic Magnolia House!
If you’re an art enthusiast, check the African American Atelier, which focuses on capturing the genuine African American experience.
San Antonio, Texas, is in awe of Martin Luther King.
The vibrant and historically significant San Antonio, Texas, regularly hosts the nation’s largest Martin Luther King Day parade, kicking off Black History Month. Visitors can begin their journey by visiting Martin Luther King Park to observe the recently installed “Spheres of Reflection” statue. The monument features the words and phrases most frequently used by Dr. King.
We recommend the Witte Museum, Texas’s oldest museum, notably its “Black Cowboys: An American Story” exhibit. It explores the mostly unchartered history of Black Americans in the Wild West.
New York
The open-minded Big Apple has always been a pioneer of equal rights. As a result, NY excelled as a center for abolitionism, the Underground Railroad, and contemporary gay rights. You can witness astonishingly authentic exhibits in the following museums: the North Star Underground Railroad Museum, the African Burial Ground National Monument, the Colored Musicians Club, etc.
Black History Month is a yearly (usually in February) organized series of events celebrating outstanding African American achievements and the African-American experience. New York is one of the most prominent cities embracing this occasion.
New York has undoubtedly many cultural landmarks on its plate you shouldn’t miss! Those interested in experiencing Black History Month could visit the Louis Armstrong House Museum and the Langston Hughes House. These two influential artists lived in humble conditions though they were celebrated nationwide!
Then, they could explore the cultural and historical heritage of the citizens of African descendants at the co-called Schomburg Center For Research In Black Culture. We mustn’t forget the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, Educational And Cultural Center. The renowned facility accomplished a unique role in bringing social justice and minority rights awareness.
Conclusion
These cities are only the tip of the iceberg. You can find exceptional museums, fascinating civil rights trails, monuments, and thought-provoking festivities throughout the country. Nonetheless, what’s even more essential is that we mustn’t forget our past heritage, even if it’s imbued with inglorious moments. Therefore, we can never repeat the sins our ancestors committed against various minorities.
