Civil Rights Trail

Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in the historically African American Sweet Auburn District of Atlanta. His direct nonviolent methods — honed famously during the 1963 Birmingham campaign — not only bolstered his own reputation but also paved the way for desegregation. A visit to Auburn Avenue today offers an interactive way to experience the times.

Birmingham and Montgomery set the course. The refusal of Rosa Parks to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus became a symbol for the burgeoning freedom movement, while Birmingham captured the nation’s consciousness when white supremacists bombed an African American church. Some poignant markers of the era can be found within Birmingham’s six-block Civil Rights District.

Boycotts, sit-ins and protests led Martin Luther King, Jr. to leave his Montgomery ministry and return to Atlanta in order to devote himself to civil rights. By following his journey, visitors can visit the places at the forefront of the freedom movement as well as sites associated with human rights and social justice.