Little Rock Central High National Historic Site
Little Rock, Arkansas
As the only national park in the country that claims an operating public high school as its main feature in the park unit, the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site teaches groups about the civil rights movement with an inside look at the first steps of desegregation in the national school system.
On September 4, 1957, nine African-American students attempted to enter the halls of Little Rock’s Central High School to put the court ruling of Brown v. Board of Education into practice. Although they were unable to enter that day due to protests, threats and violent attacks, the Little Rock Nine became legends in the story of civil rights: Student Ernest Green became the first African American to graduate from the predominantly white school on May 27, 1958.
“Visitors can only go in with a certified park ranger on a guided tour,” said Jodi Morris, park ranger with the National Park Service and the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, who recommends groups of 50 or fewer make a reservation in advance for a free tour of the site. “There is something about learning the history where it happened that just makes an impact. Even the best documentary or history text in the world can’t give the same experience as being there where it actually happened.”
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
Atlanta
Located on the east end of Auburn Avenue, the 25-acre heart of the civil rights movement, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site offers groups a chance to peer into the private and public life of that inspiring man. After King was assassinated in 1968, his widow, Coretta Scott King, established the King Center to preserve the legacy of her husband, and her efforts sparked the evolution of what the district has become.
Today, groups can spend hours wandering around the site with an optional guided tour of King’s birth home; the newly restored historic Ebenezer Baptist Church; the Peace Plaza, home of the “I Have a Dream” World Peace Rose Garden; and the Visitors Center, where everyone can watch compelling documentaries and explore the exhibits.
“The churches, social organizations, businesses and other institutions found on Auburn Avenue created the infrastructure for the powerful activism of the civil rights movement,” said Jo Ann Haden-Miller, director of consumer markets for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And don’t forget to spend quiet time and reflect in front of the tombs of Dr. and Mrs. King at the King Center while listening to the voice of Dr. King.”
