Group Tour Magazine - November 2023 - 105

FOR THE LOVE OF PEACE
Sit-ins and boycotts were among the many ways people peacefully
protested during the Civil Rights Movement. The International Civil
Rights Center & Museum is housed in the historic Woolworth's
building in Greensboro, North Carolina. The museum, built on the
site where four African American college students staged their
now-famous sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960, offers
guided group tours of its 13 permanent exhibitions on nonviolent
activism during the era of the Civil Rights Movement.
In 1955, Rosa Parks stood up for her civil rights by remaining
seated on a segregated bus after being asked to give up her spot for
a white passenger. Troy University's Rosa Parks Museum is located
at the site of Park's famous arrest and features a restored 1950s
bus and exhibits on the roots and ramifications of the Montgomery
Bus Boycott. Also in Montgomery, Alabama, tour the Freedom
Rides Museum to learn how activists risked their lives to force the
U.S. government to uphold the Supreme Court's decision to outlaw
segregated transportation.
In Selma, Alabama, groups might choose to visit the Edmund
Pettus Bridge, where on March 7, 1965 (aka " Bloody Sunday " ),
protestors peacefully marched across the Alabama River to advocate
for voting rights and were met with brutal attacks from law
enforcement. Nearby, groups can schedule a tour of the National
Voting Rights Museum and Institute, which examines this dark day's
impact on American history and the fight for suffrage.
'THE GREAT EQUALIZER'
The Civil Rights Movement sought equality in all its forms-from
economic justice to the enshrinement of African Americans' voting
rights. This included the fight to desegregate schools and improve
access to quality education for all Americans, regardless of their
skin color. This required acts of great bravery and sacrifice from African
American schoolchildren and their families, and their stories
are honored at several sites along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in Little Rock,
Arkansas, commemorates the courageous actions of the " Little Rock
Nine, " a group of African American students who faced incredible
adversity as they sought to desegregate the school in 1957, a test of the
Brown v. Board of Education decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Today, Little Rock Central High School is a functioning high school, but
groups can schedule a ranger-led tour of the facilities and its museum
to learn about the Little Rock Nine and the desegregation movement.
Other U.S. Civil Rights Trail education sites include: Clinton High
School, in Clinton, Tennessee, where 12 African American students
desegregated the school in 1956; New Orleans' William Frantz Elementary
School, where Ruby Bridges became the first Black student
in 1960; and Fisk University, the first African American university to
receive accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools and the alma mater of several prominent Americans, including
journalist and activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett and U.S. Representative
John Lewis.
Testament: The Little Rock Nine Monument,
Arkansas State Capitol Grounds
Learning Resources
The U.S. Civil Rights Trail website
offers several learning resources to
enrich tour operators' understanding
of the significance of the trail and
to share with group travelers
* The " Music of the Movement " playlist on Spotify was
created by the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in
partnership with the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. The playlist
includes some of the most recognizable American soul
music spanning from 1965 to 1975 and makes for a
great addition to your group's drive between tour stops.
* Each season of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail podcast
focuses on how the fight for equality unfolded in a
different state. Now in its fifth season, tour professionals
can find this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
Google Podcasts, or other popular audio sites.
grouptourmagazine.com 105
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Group Tour Magazine - November 2023

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