selma to montgomery continued

I TOUCHED DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S DESK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

more on that later, but i couldn't resist leading with it.

 since the selma to montgomery march trail is a national historic trail, there are signs along the way marking important sites.  the only one i couldn't get a photo of was the viola liuzzo memorial b/c it is right where she was killed so it is off the side of the road and not a good place to stop.

 i stopped at an interpertive center (which was basically a museum) along the way and they had some great exhibits.  the next several photos are from there.

 had no idea this tent city existed.  the interpretive center is on the site where tent city was located.

this is where i learned about black people being forced to bring coffee cans in the car while travelling b/c they could not count on finding a bathroom to use.  it makes me sick especially while being on this 3 week road trip and thinking about how many times i have needed a gas station bathroom!!

 emmett till

i had heard many times about mamie till's decision about her son's coffin, but had no idea the true horror until i saw this photo.

 these were made from a famous photo of the march

one of the most extraordinary things about this march was that people were dressed up while marching!!!!  in all of the photos i saw, men were in dress shirts, ties, suits and dress shoes.  this exhibit is an outfit worn by a lady marcher!!!!!!   as if it wouldn't have been extraordinary enough to have done it in nikes and sweats.

 tent city site

i still can't believe it was 4 nights.
wow, that was restful to include self-explanatory photos.

when i got to montgomery, this was my first stop.  the rosa parks museum was amazing.  it is right on the site where she refused to move from her seat.  there was a really cool high-tech section to the presentation where they had a replica of a bus and a movie (dramatization of rosa parks on the bus refusing to get up and the before and after) playing on screens inside the bus so it looked almost 3D and real.

 the montgomery capitol bldg. where the march ended.

martin luther king jr.'s one and only church.  took a tour.  it is a couple blocks from the capitol.

did i mention i TOUCHED HIS DESK?!?!?!?!?!?!?
well, i did.  i touched his desk.  !!!!!!
the wood paneled walls are the same as when it was his office.  

 another view of his desk.  the one i touched.

the bookcases are also the same as when the office was his.  i didn't touch those.  but i totally could have.

 the church

his pulpit.  didn't touch that either.  but totally could have.  got really close.  

 visited the southern poverty law center.  where i was convinced i wanted to work while i was in law school.  until i discovered it was in alabama!!!  oh, that's terrible.  but true.

i was very surprised at how new, big and fancy looking it was.  but even more surprised that there was an armed security guard who radioed inside that i was on my way in, and a metal detector to enter the building.

this is the memorial wall.  there are 40 people who died during the civil rights movement who are memorialized w/plaques.  i am putting them all on here but won't recount the stories b/c i think my head will explode.  i bought the book that tells all the stories in detail in the gift shop.  can only read a little at a time.  

 i saw the above story in a documentary or a pbs special or something like that.

 this is one of the most unbelievable photos - this girl was so young and walking by herself into little rock high school attempting to integrate it.

 this is the memorial outside the building.  designed by maya lin of vietnam vets memorial fame.

 this wheel is pretty amazing.  water flows over it continually.

 this bbq is SO INCREDIBLY GOOD!

 and in a cool building too.

 another downtown montgomery building.

 like this shot of all 3 and the big rusty thing.  whatever it is.

 cute

 fountain in downtown montgomery.  pretty.  the ugly part is that is right where the slave market was.

 the adorable b&b where i stayed in prattville, alabama.  a little town that kind of reminded me of east aurora.  called the smith byrd house.  and the hosts were super nice and friendly.  and the other guests, a couple from mobile, alabama were the BEST breakfast companions!  they were super funny and amazing storytellers and i think i laughed for an hour straight.  if you are ever in the area, the b&b is also a wonderful tea house and i can vouch for the masala chai which was the best tea i have ever had.

 i forgot to mention that i was looking for the bbq place, my gps steered me to their old location.  which was way up by a mall.  so i stopped at a gas station and asked a woman if she knew where dreamland bbq was.  she said "ma'am" so i figured she was starting her sentence w/ma'am and about to say "go down the interstate" or something like that.  but then she was silent.  i was staring at her; she was staring at me.  then i realized it was a way of saying "pardon me" or "excuse me"!  so i repeated myself.  and then it happened to me about 3 more times w/other people and i was thankful i cracked the code.  must be my buffalo accent.