Birmingham Civil Rights Institute — Attraction in Birmingham

Second time visiting, and I was very disappointed today. First, I was overcharged. The two young ladies with me are teens, not adults. Why not ask first to avoid having to give me a refund? Secondly, I was told by the white security guard that we could not take in purses. Ok, cool. My niece and I took our purses to the car and returned. Low and behold as I am waiting on my refund for the overcharge, a white lady walks up. She tells the guard that her bag is small and proceeds to open her purse to reveal the contents. She shows him her keys and phone. No shock, but the white guard lets her take her purse in. I stood there flabbergasted. Really? Not only did he let her take her purse in, but SEVERAL white women behind us. I could/should have taken a picture of them with their bags while mine was in the trunk of my car, but I didn’t want to be rude. I thought of asking him why he let the white women in with their bags and not me and my niece, but I did not want to be a stereotypical black woman yelling. There was a crowd of white people waiting to get in, so I didn’t mention it. Once inside, we ventured to the tour area. We arrived first. We were told to hang out and view/read the pictures before the tour began. Low and behold, the white lady (with her purse in tow) and her man come up. The black guide tells them to get in line, before us. Then she looks at us and says, “You all can get in line”. Really? Now I had to stand in line behind a white woman who got an approved purse while mine was denied. Actually, I was sandwiched between two white ladies with their purses, while my niece and I had no purse since we had to surrender ours to the car. With all this said, this is RUDE. I can’t blame the patrons, but at least have people working for this black establishment that can RESPECT black people. I had to go through exhibits of inhumane treatment of my people. To be done like that by a white guard. I will NOT go back. I will search for history ELSEWHERE. It is overpriced anyway, you have the same exhibits...

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is a must see for all Americans who truly want a handle on this nation’s horrific and darkest times. The BCRI has given our country the most remarkable and complete opportunity to enter a massive doorway into the arena and fight for equality and social justice that occurred in America. Again, everyone should see this incredible museum and the history it expertly represents.

I knew this would be a very emotional and difficult experience but no way was I prepared for everything I saw and wished I had spent more time reading more of the displayed articles. But from the get-go I was crumbling inside and knew it all was a great deal to absorb. That being said, I am returning soon in the next couple of months and will take notes and experience that which I missed.

From first contact at the ticket office, to the security people, to those directly involved within the museum, staff was as phenomenal as the Institute itself. Kindness, helpfulness and excellence abounded throughout the visit.

Lastly, the time spent in the BCRI Bookstore was charming, sweet, and educational. Staff under Curator Yvette Chatman, demonstrated a sincere and gentle desire to complete one’s visit in the best way ever. The atmosphere was welcoming and full of joy. This being my first trip to the Deep South, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute demonstrated what was right about human race while expertly and professionally placing the spotlight on the darkest and most violent times in our American history. We can only move forward as a country when we understand our past and more importantly, learn from it’s tragic mistakes and brokenness.

BCRI is a MUST...

Birmingham has such a complicated history, and what happened here is both tragic and an important catalyst for change -- that's a difficult balance to communicate, but the Civil Rights Institute does an excellent job.

The exhibits here are well researched and well done. The history is presented clearly and is not at all emotionally manipulative -- I do think visiting this museum is an emotional experience, especially because it's located right in the midst of where the events occurred, but the museum lets the facts speak for themselves instead of trying to interpret them to support a particular agenda.

There's a lot to explore in the museum, and there's a lot to read, so I'd schedule at least a couple of hours for a visit. A few commenters before mentioned that it's very difficult to read some of the newspapers and especially watch news footage from the Civil Rights era because of some of the horrible things that people say without shame, and I agree. Most of us are at least vaguely familiar with this kind of hate and racism, but it's different to see it talked about so unabashedly. I also think it's important to see that and to understand what so many people fought to overcome (and to recognize modern racism even though it might be veiled a little bit more).

The museum also includes a lot about modern efforts in the Civil Rights movement and usually has some art elements that explore the subject of race and freedom at the end of the tour. It's a smart and hopeful way to end a visit to the museum, and it challenges each of us to ask how we can help and to recognize that there's still much to be done in the fight for equality and civil rights for...