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18.01.2025 - 11:31 / lonelyplanet.com / Martin Luther King-Junior
Jan 17, 2025 • 7 min read
A momentous chapter in the history of the USA, the Civil Rights Movement is more than one contained narrative. Instead, it unfolded as a series of episodes – and continues to unfold to this day.
Some of the movement’s most important moments, from the beautiful (marchers moving forward, hand in hand, in Selma, Alabama) to the nightmarish (those same marchers set on by police dogs) took place on Southern soil – and are etched into the South’s soul.
With Black History Month around the corner, and as we prepare to honor the contributions and sacrifices made by African Americans, here are some of the most moving and evocative sites where history was made.
The Alabama cities of Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma form a triangle that traces the most important geography of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s – and today make up the Alabama Civil Rights Trail.
Few locales better testify to the agonies – and achievements – of civil rights than the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, located across the street from 16th Street Baptist Church, where four young Black girls were killed when the church was bombed in 1963. Thoughtful exhibits keep visitors engaged as they move through this enormous, deep and enlightening museum.
A poignant urban walk, Birmingham’s Civil Rights Memorial Trail encompasses seven blocks and features historical markers and powerful sculptures depicting important moments from the 1950s and 1960s era of the movement. Of particular note, both along this trail and at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, are the reactions and intellectual justifications given by those who opposed civil rights (which are sadly familiar even in this day). As this trail and different museums show, many carried signs supporting “states’ rights” (to segregate), “law and order” and their right to protect “Southern heritage.”
At Montgomery’s Rosa Parks Museum, visitors can learn that it was the action of Parks, a trained activist who refused to move to the back of the bus one day in 1955, set in motion the Montgomery bus boycott, a carefully prepared and brilliantly executed campaign of civil disobedience. Just a few blocks away, the Legacy Museum artfully explains the roots of institutionalized racism in the USA and, bringing the story to the present, continues to persist in the 21st century.
Nearby, you can visit a small house that once served as the home and workspace of a young pastor named Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who lived here as he and others organized the Montgomery bus boycotts. Inside Dexter Avenue Parsonage, you’ll see both reproductions and actual examples of the King family’s library (including books on nonviolent resistance), old vinyl records, ashtrays, and mid-century furniture
Planning an international trip for six people is challenging; doing it with four teenagers requires extra preparation. When my twin sons graduated from high school in Australia, we celebrated with a three-week adventure across the US and Mexico.
An Air Busan plane caught fire at an airport in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday evening, forcing passengers and crew to evacuate, according to Yonhap news agency.
Jan 27, 2025 • 15 min read
Visiting Disney World in Orlando was one of my most magical childhood memories, and I couldn't wait to share the experience with my 9-year-old daughter Ruby. So this past October, after countless hours spent scrolling Disney travel blogs riddled with pop-up ads and thousands of dollars invested in airfare, hotel, and park tickets, we entered the gates of the Magic Kingdom.
The warm, palm-tree-dotted beaches of Royal Caribbean's private Haitian resort, Labadee, accommodate thousands of eager cruisers every year.
It’s possible to score Southwest Rapid Rewards points at a much lower rate right now thanks to the airline’s newest sale.
While commuting may be a thing of the past for remote workers, it's still a daily task for the majority of Americans in the workforce.
Jan 23, 2025 • 6 min read
Jan 21, 2025 • 9 min read
Cobblestone streets, adorable bistros, scenic river cruises, impressive basilicas, and artsy enclaves — this isn't France, it's Montréal in Canada.
Love ’em or hate ’em, the busiest airports in the world are where many of our holidays begin and end.