The Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Atlanta, Montgomery, and Birmingham
Below are helpful details for participants of the 2023 Civil Rights Pilgrimage. Please download WhatsApp to be added to a thread of participants in case the schedule changes.
Thursday
6a: Arrive at Westminster. Coffee and bagels (Panera) will be provided). Young Transportation is our Charter Partner.
9:30a: Arrive at the King Center. Explore Ebenezer Baptist and the Sweet Auburn Neighborhood (at your own pace). For reference: https://thekingcenter.org/visit/
11a: Box lunch (Panera) en route to Montgomery, Alabama.
1p: Arrive to the Hampton Inn & Suites Montgomery-Downtown. For reference: https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/mgmdnhx-hampton-suites-montgomery-downtown/
3:30p: The Rosa Parks Library & Museum at Troy University. Participants are encouraged to walk if weather and hips provide. For reference: https://www.troy.edu/student-life-resources/arts-culture/rosa-parks-museum/index.html
Free evening! Consider visiting the EJI Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center or walking to the Alabama State House and the White House of the Confederacy, both of which are located centrally to Dr. King’s church, Dexter Ave. King Memorial Baptist.
Enjoy a meal at Central, Goat Haus Biergarten, or Bibb St. Pizza (adjacent to a local brewery).
Friday
Breakfast at the Hotel. Prepare for a long day!
9a: The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration. For Reference: https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/museum
The Legacy Museum is a rich experience that may take an emotional toll. If you need to step away, please do. We will walk (again, if able) to and from the Museum and lunch.
11a: Lunch on your own. Consider Dream Land BBQ and Wintzell’s Oyster House.
1:45p: Meet at the hotel for transportation to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Please ensure that you are packed and bring your luggage to the bus. We will not return to the hotel.
2p: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. For reference: https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial
3p: Depart for Selma (approx. 1 hr. drive).
4p: Arrive at Brown Chapel AME & King Monument, drive to the Selma Interpretive Center and walk the bridge. You are encouraged to bring your devotional and reflect as you walk. Please note that the bridge is active. There is a pedestrian lane — be safe! For reference: https://www.nps.gov/places/alabama-brown-chapel-ame-church-selma.htm and https://civilrightstrail.com/attraction/edmund-pettus-bridge/
5p: Depart for Birmingham. Dinner en route.
7:30p: Arrive in Birmingham, check into The Tutwiler Hampton Inn. For reference: https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/bhmdnhx-hampton-suites-birmingham-downtown-tutwiler/
Saturday
Breakfast at the hotel.
10a: Ingram Park Devotional Walk. For reference: https://www.nps.gov/places/kelly-ingram-park.htm
11a: The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (at your own pace). For reference: https://www.bcri.org/
12:30p: Lunch on your own. Nearby is legendary (black-owned) Green Acres Cafe.
1:45p: arrive at 16th St. Baptist Church. For reference: https://www.16thstreetbaptist.org/ and https://www.nps.gov/articles/16thstreetbaptist.htm
6p: Depart (via bus) for the Birmingham Barons baseball game (vs. the “Iron City Trash Pandas”). Watch your phone for updates on the bus departure. For reference: https://www.milb.com/birmingham
Sunday
Breakfast at the hotel. We will leave following worship, so please bring your bags to the bus.
10:45a: Depart for St. Paul United Methodist Church. For reference: https://www.nps.gov/places/st-paul-united-methodist-church.htm or https://stpaulbham.org/
Depart following worship. Lunch en route. We should arrive in Greenville by 7:30p.
THE RECOMMENDED READING LIST
Please be aware that many of these books are available at Westminster’s library. For copies of the essays, contact Leigh Stuckey.