By Tomeka Allgood
Knowledge via technology is easily accessible at our fingertips daily. That is why many people have become so dependent on it to answer their questions. One of my professors used to call the internet “the misinformation highway.” Increasingly, that message rings true regarding the daily news cycle. What is true and what isn’t true? The one thing I did not think would be up for debate was history. Unfortunately, that is not true.
This year our travel calendars are full of historical places, people, and things! If individuals only rely on the internet for history, then they are setting themselves up to be misinformed. When we take the opportunity to physically visit historical places, it makes a difference.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States. He is one of the most quoted people of all time. His life is used as a benchmark for activism using a non-violent strategy. This article will provide you with places you can visit to learn more about him. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived for 39 years. However, his life and contributions to society are often reduced to one, maybe two pages in school history books. Below is a list of places to check out if you are interested in learning more about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the legacy he left behind.
The King Center | Atlanta, Georgia
Located in Atlanta’s historic Auburn neighborhood, the King Center is where visitors consistently go and pay respects to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His legacy is well-preserved in the neighborhood where he spent the first years of his life.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change was established by Dr. King’s widow, Mrs. Coretta Scott King in 1968. Known locally as “The King Center” it is a living memorial to both him and his wife. Both lived for social change and were instrumental in the nonviolent movement that successfully moved the civil rights movement forward. This is one of the few places that provides background on Coretta’s role before and after marriage.
In addition to pictures, videos, and artifacts, the center’s campus includes Dr. & Mrs. King’s crypt in a solemn yet beautiful setting. In 1970, Dr. King’s remains were placed in a crypt located at The King Center. In 2006, his wife’s remains were laid to rest there as well.
The second most memorable highlight at the center is the Eternal Flame. This flame is a reminder that efforts are still ongoing today to realize Dr. King’s dream. Although he died in 1968, the world continues to work toward justice, peace, and equality for everyone.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park Georgia | Atlanta, Georgia
During a visit to the King Center, one can take a short walk to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park & Preservation District. The visitor center is staffed for visitors to get a brief orientation and to ask any questions.
This park covers where Dr. King lived and worshipped during his childhood and formative years. Included in this area are both the birth home of King and Ebenezer Baptist Church. Ebenezer Baptist Church was the King family church and visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour. This church is where Dr. King was baptized, ordained, and preached his first sermon. This is where his funeral service was held in 1968. The clock in the church’s sanctuary is set to 10:30 am, which was the time Dr. King’s funeral took place.
National Civil Rights Museum | Memphis, Tennessee
Instead of presenting the Lorraine Motel as just another historic site. The National Civil Rights Museum designed the museum around this infamous landmark. The importance of the design is the impact it has on visitors. They may immediately recognize the location of Dr. King’s assassination from pictures found in books or films. The awareness does not prepare them for the experience, it does let them know this museum is different.
After a brief film, visitors can check out exhibits in chronological order. The visual storytelling here is self-guided so visitors can go at their own pace. It is an exceptional way to learn about Dr. King and the timeline of events that spearheaded the Civil Rights movement. The education alone from spending a few hours at this museum at your own pace is worth the price of admission.
What makes this museum experience powerful is the preservation of the motel guest room where Dr. King stayed. Room 306 looks eerily like how it did on April 4, 1968, the date of his assassination on the balcony. This is at the end of the tour when most visitors are transported back in time for a few moments. It allows each visitor a visual of how that day changed the direction of a nation in a matter of seconds.
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute | Birmingham, Alabama
This museum provides a thoughtful and detailed learning experience. It is focused on a measured albeit historical timeline approach centered around the most important social movement up to that point in history. Birmingham was where Dr. King wrote the iconic ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’, it was where children were being used in the non-violent movement and where public outcry changed the course of the Civil Rights movement. One key factor that makes this visit educational, intellectually stimulating, and relevant, is many of the events visitors learn about happened within walking distance.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is located steps from the 16th Street Baptist Church and Kelly Ingram Park. This area is known as the Birmingham Civil Rights District because of key historical events that happened there in the 1960s.
The 16th Street Baptist Church is where four young girls were killed by a bomb on September 15, 1963. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the eulogy three days later. Kelly Ingram Park is where young people were sprayed with water hoses and attacked by dogs in 1963. The level of violence against mostly children caused a huge public outcry and changed the course of the Civil Rights movement. Kelly Ingram Park offers a self-guided audio tour for visitors to know the significance of events that happened there.
Dexter Parsonage Museum | Montgomery, Alabama
The Dexter Parsonage Museum is part of the United States Civil Rights Trail. It is the home where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived from 1954 to 1960. The home was built in 1912 in an upper-class African American neighborhood called Centennial Hill. It was purchased by the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church as a home for their lead pastors. In addition to Dr. King, over the next 72 years, it was home to twelve other pastors and their families. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. After being restored and refurbished close to its appearance when Dr. King and his family lived there, it opened as a tourist attraction.
This is where Dr. King lived in 1956 when a bomb was thrown at his house while his family was inside. The bomb was retaliation for leading the Montgomery bus boycotts. Visitors can still see the mark left by the bomb in the concrete on the front porch.
This museum may be small, but it is full of information. It gives a glimpse into the life of King when he was a young man. He became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist when he was 24 years old.
The tour starts at the interpretive center located in another building adjacent to the museum. Visitors start the experience with a short fifteen-minute video covering the history of Montgomery during the mid-20th century. Once the video is over, a tour guide will take visitors on a tour of the parsonage. This is one of the more fun tours because you get to see how the King and his family lived. The piano, kitchen table, older furniture, if you are a fan of history, it is cool just to see those things. It is like taking a step back in time.
