A Civil Rights Tour of the South is planned for Oct 17-22, 2021, led by two women from Kalamazoo Westwood United Methodist Church.
Pilgrims and learners will travel to sites in Memphis, Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, and Nashville. Speakers, discussions, and plenty of great Southern food are promised as well. The tour culminates with a walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, led by an original “foot soldier.”
This bus tour starts and ends in Kalamazoo. Cost is $750 which includes all meals, hotel stays* (based on double-occupancy), admission, speaker fees, and the bus. All participants will need proof of Covid-19 vaccinations.
Please contact Nancy at (630)926-1235 or [email protected] for more information and registration form. There are ten spots left on the bus. Call soon if interested.
Detailed itinerary:
Sunday 10/17/21 – Leave Kalamazoo at 9:00 am, arrive in Memphis by 8:00 pm.
A 9 1/2 hour trip on a climate-controlled bus, with Wifi and movie screens, restroom, and microphone. Movies, singing, and introductions, plus two meals and plenty of stops and afternoon “quiet time” for napping on the way. Overnight in Memphis.
Monday 10/18/21 – Memphis, Tennessee
National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot). Lunch at Central BBQ. Heritage Tour w/a “step-on guide.” Slave Haven Underground R.R. Museum, home, and experience. Evening: Travel 3 ½ hrs. to overnight in Birmingham, with dinner along the way.
Tuesday 10/19/21 – Birmingham, Alabama
Experience at the 16th St. Baptist Church, walk the Freedom Trail and see the sculptures across the street at Kelly Ingram Park. Lunch (TBA). Afternoon at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, with an optional trip to the Vulcan statue (largest cast iron statue in the world, commemorating Birmingham’s roots in the iron and steel industry. Dinner at a soul food cafeteria. Overnight in Birmingham.
Wednesday 10/20/21 – Travel 1 ½ hours to Montgomery, Alabama
Visit the Legacy Museum. National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Lunch at the Davis Café. Afternoon: Rosa Parks Freedom Rides Museum, Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Free time at hotel, until dinner at Martha’s Place. Overnight in Montgomery.
Thursday 10/21/21 – Travel 1 hr. to Selma, Alabama then 4 hours to Nashville, Tennessee
Visit the Interpretive Center before the walk on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Lunch in Selma. Travel 4 hrs. to Nashville. Dinner, evening, and overnight in Nashville.
Fri. 10/22/21 – Travel 7 ½ hours to Kalamazoo
Lunch and stops on the way. Home!
* Our hotels are Hampton, Best Western, Courtyard by Marriott, and La Quinta
Last Updated on July 20, 2021