June 3rd…A day dedicated to history

This morning we started out in Huntsville on our way to Tallahassee, Florida. The route took us south on I-65 and then east from Montgomery on smaller roads to Florida. Since we were passing through Birmingham, Alabama and Montgomery, Alabama we decided to stop since both places were famous/infamous locations in the Civil Rights movement.

We drove into downtown Birmingham and parked at Kelly Ingram Park. The park has sculptures that depict the Children’s Crusade in 1963. After school for a week in May 1963, the black Birmingham children (high school and grammar school kids) marched downtown to protest segregation. The Birmingham Police Chief broke up the demonstrations by siccing police dogs on the kids and spraying them with water cannons (not hoses, cannons). This was a major turning point in the Civil Rights movement because the treatment of the children was televised nationally. Once it became public, JFK stepped in and supported racial equality (he didn't before).

 Cater-corner from the park is the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is the church that was bombed in September 1963 killing four young black girls after church service. This was another pivotal event in the Civil rights Movement and in Birmingham.  

Birmingham was a very interesting stop. After walking around we got back on the road and drove down to Montgomery.  I saw in the AAA tour book that Montgomery is the home of the First White House of the Confederacy. The house was right downtown across from the Alabama State Capitol so we decided to stop there. We parked and took a few pictures and then went inside. 

When I pushed the door to go in, it was blocked by someone standing there. Rob and I squeezed in to find a large group of people standing around a man on the staircase in a confederate uniform doing a dramatic reading.  We didn't hear the beginning but he was reading a letter to Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. After he finished there was enthusiastic applause and a woman got up on the stairs and thanked everyone for coming. She said there was birthday cake in the back and please have some. HUH?  I asked someone what the event was and found out that today is Jefferson Davis’ birthday and a state holiday in Alabama.

So there I was with my white husband in the midst of all these old ladies and old men in confederate uniforms celebrating Jefferson Davis’ Birthday. You should have seen me. Did I say I was the only black person in there?  Several of the old ladies came up and introduced themselves. You would have been proud. I told them that I was so glad that we just happened to stop by that day. I toured the house, chatted with people, and at the end I had some cake. So there I was in Jefferson Davis’ house on Jefferson Davis’ birthday eating Jefferson Davis’ birthday cake.  Jefferson Davis is probably still spinning in his grave.

Just to let you know, Alabama has some different holidays:

Jan 21–Robert E Lee/Martin Luther King Birthday

Feb 12 – Mardi Gras

Apr 22 – Confederate Memorial Day

Jun 3 – Jefferson Davis Birthday

And one more thing....when I toured the White House I noticed that there were vases in some of the rooms. Instead of flowers, there was cotton in the vases. No lie, cotton. I could not make this stuff up if I tried.

Today was great. I hope we come up with some other good stuff on the trip.