October 20, 2018
Birmingham, Alabama
Cool with Mist
Birmingham, Alabama – the Magic City. What enticed me to go here? Well, 2 reasons: 1) Billy is going to school at University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and this article from WSJ>. Since Billy is graduating in December, time was of the essence so picked a weekend where there was no Alabama home football game to come over.
I was able to get a room at one fo the oldest hotels in Birmingham – the Redmond, which is said to be haunted and is where Hank Williams the controversial country singer died. I don't know anything about him but apparently he was an OK guy but his son not great.
I got in late on Thursday night, worked in the AM and while waiting for Billy to arrive, spent a couple of hours in the afternoon at the Civil Rights Institute and Park to learn about the movement. Birmingham is a symbol of the movement and became notorious as the world was watching the struggles of the blacks and other minorities peacefully fight to be treated equally.
The Civil Rights Institute is a must see for every American student (and our current President). It shows in a positive way the struggles ordinary people did including children to fight for their rights to be treated equally. I was very moved and motivated to never be complacent when I see injustice.
At the square in from of the Institute where the infamous March for Equality started in Birmingham, one can experience what the folks endured while trying to get equality. Here, you experience what it was like to March, while police with police dogs were threatening to attack.
Water guns were used to stop the peaceful protesters including children.
Symbol of the Protest: We shall never forget so that no one from any ethnic background suffers injustice
The Great Martin Luther King. We desperately need someone like him today to lead.
The experience to the Civil Rights Institute starts with a movie about the history of Birmingham and ends after the Civil War where the slaves were freed but not "free". The screen rises to the entrance and this is the first installation you see.
The institute highlights how local governments discriminated against blacks and minorities through funding and segregation
The Great Rosa Parks
Across the street from the Institute is the 16th Street Baptist Church, where 4 little girls were killed by bombs planted by the Ku Klux Klan in 1963. This tragic event was a turning point for the civil rights movement. The FBI found 4 of the members to be responsible but because of discriminatory behavior of the courts of Alabama at that time it took years to prosecute. It was finally done in 1977 when one was finally prosecuted and found guilty and two in 2001 and 2002 respectively. The fourth never got tried…
Billy arrived as I was finishing my tour so met him at the hotel, and we decided to go to the famous Good People Brewery for a beer of course. As it was located near the railroad park, after a beer we walked the park and also saw the illuminated tunnel ( not too impressed) and walked back to the hotel.
Where it all started – The Good People Brewery
The entrance to the illuminated tunnel. We ran into several folks high on drugs
During our walk back, we passed by one of the remaining movie palaces of the South.
The highlight of our first day together was dinner at Highland Bar and Grill which won 2 James Beard Awards. First one for their desserts and second for the restaurant. I wanted to go for the desserts by Dol Miles who learned to bake from her mother and her Aunt who worked in a high school cafeteria. And yes, we had the Coconut Cake that was out of this world. The food was great, but I have to say it worth a plane trip fro the desserts.
Highland Bar and Grill – service was impeccable
The infamous coconut cake
Billy so excited to have oysters. Last time he had them was in NYC
The Magic City – Birmingham