We returned to the Birmingham, starting with the 16th Street Baptist Church, site of the bombing that killed four little girl attendees in 1963. Fortunately, it’s in the process of getting a serious renovation; unfortunately, whoever oversees tours and tourists wasn’t around and we couldn’t get in.

However, we were across the street from the Kelly Ingram Park, scene of many significant Civil Rights protests, and now functioning more or less as a giant memorial to same. There are statues and other art works arranged throughout designed to help a casual visitor get a quick sense of those turbulent times. You walk through a space that makes you seem like you are in jail, or being attacked by police dogs, or hit with water cannons. You know a movement has won when the scene of conflict is now a memorial and an homage to their struggle.

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