Birmingham, AL

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
DESCRIPTION: Civil Rights museum and educational center

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Kelly Ingram Park
DESCRIPTION: Pace Freedom Walk in the park slowly to digest the gravity, sacrifices and triumph as Civil Rights Movement theory met harsh reality at this National Historic site; bronzed sculptures of police attacking civil rights protesters with a Billy-club, police dogs attacking civil rights marchers, children jailed for Civil Rights marching, and three ministers praying for justice capture a truthful snapshot of the madness of Jim Crow in the 1960s -- it sends a visceral reminder to generations to come that America must never return to those days of discrimination against any group of people; a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and four paths along Freedom Walk converge towards a center inscription with calming words of hope
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily dawn to dusk
ADDRESS: bounded by 16th Street, 17th Street and 5th Ave, and 6th Ave  MAP

Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
DESCRIPTION: Fittingly based in the historic Carver Center for the Performing Arts, Birmingham’s citizens and civic leaders deserve ‘props for this noteworthy contextual reuse of a Chitlin’ Circuit theater -- this noteworthy because most Chitlin’ Circuit theaters around the nation have be “redeveloped” out of existence; the concert theatre features a number of contemporary shows
ADMISSION: small fee for museum; concert prices are separate
DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Sat 10a-5p, Sun 1p-5p
ADDRESS: Fourth Ave and 17th Street, North  MAP
PHONE: 205-254-2731
WEBSITE: http://www.jazzhall.com

Historic Fourth Avenue Visitor Center
DESCRIPTION: Tours, photographs and a slide presentation tell stories of the Fourth Avenue district: a commercial, social and cultural center for African-Americans since the early years of the 20th century
ADMISSION: Free, donations requested
DAYS & HOURS: Monday-Friday, 9a-4:30p
ADDRESS: 319 17th Street North  MAP
PHONE: 205-328-1850
WEBSITE: http://www.urbanimpactbirmingham.org

Eddie Kendricks & The Temptations Memorial
DESCRIPTION: Located in Memorial Park, this remarkable monument to the man with the golden tenor and the Tempting Temptations, by artist Ron McDowell; perhaps no song ever captured the smooth delivery of Eddie (1940-1992) as the perfectly as his vocal signature piece, Just My Imagination; hailed by music critics as one of the best R&B songs of all-time
DAYS & HOURS: daily dawn to dusk
ADDRESS: Fourth Ave, North at 18th Street  MAP

Fairfield, AL

Miles College
DESCRIPTION: Opened in 1908 this Historically Black College is excelling amidst a climate of financial challenges for similar institutions; its number one in enrollment growth among all 41 UNCF member institutions, graduation rates increased 68%, and endowment increased 281% since 1994; notable among its 11,000 alumni are Richard Arrington, Birmingham’s first African American and 5-term mayor, UW Clemon, the first African American federal judge in Alabama, Dr Luther Williams, Assistant Directorate of the National Science Foundation; the attractive campus features all the spirit one expects for such an historic small liberal arts college of 1200 students
ADMISSION: free
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: 5500 Avenue G  MAP
PHONE: 205-923-2771
WEBSITE: http://www.miles.edu