Birmingham

I have left Birmingham in my rearview mirror and am headed to see what Jackson, Mississippi has to offer. I thought I'd share some of what happened in Birmingham today. I got a later start than I had hoped but I'm not on a timetable so it was okay.

First, I went to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. They have a nice layout and it seems like several people use the Gardens as a place to walk for exercise. I tried to see the rose gardens but they were blocked off. I also tried to see the lilies and the irises but I am apparently allergic to something in each of those gardens. That was unpleasant. All the while I kept seeing this man around 55 in a Cubs cap with glasses, a blue shirt, and a camera. Everywhere I went, there he was. I even specifically tried to ditch him and when I turned a corner there he was, taking my picture yet again. That's right I said, "taking my picture." It was creepy and I decided to leave the Botanical Gardens.

Next, I went to Vulcan Park. Vulcan Park was neat. The elevator was broken to get to the observatory deck but there are stairs that you can climb. I was the only one that chose to climb so I had the whole observatory deck to myself. It was kind of cool. The pictures on their website are misleading though, the observatory deck doesn't give nearly the view the website shows.

Then, I went down to the 4th Ave. N District. It is where the Alabama Jazz Museum is, the Civil Rights Institute, and the 16th Street Baptist Church. I wanted to go to the Alabama Jazz Museum most of all but it wasn't where it's website and mapquest said it was. So, I decided to park in a public lot and walk around. All of these things are not that far apart from each other on the map so I figured what could it hurt. I walked several blocks but still couldn't find the Jazz Museum. I did, however, encounter several unfriendly people. I was moved by the 16th St Baptist Church. It was surprising how much history they packed into a small nook. The church is still operational and they have services every Sunday. As I was leaving, I went to go look at Kelly Ingram Park - it was the staging area for many of the 1963 Civil Rights demonstrations and in 1992 was renovated to include statues and markers. That was a mistake.

Kelly Ingram Park is not tourist friendly, and I knew it as soon as I got close, so I kept walking to cross the street and head back towards the car. One man felt the need to express what he thought of me and shouted at me in vivid detail the things he would like to do to me as I waited for the light to change. I have never been so keenly aware of the fact that I am a white woman as I was in that moment. I had come to Birmingham specifically to see the civil rights history for I am thankful that I am free to befriend whomever I choose. But, in that instant I did not wheel around and stare at him and ask, "are you talking to me?" like I have of every other man that has chosen to behave so inappropriately. For all I could think of was with freedom comes choice to choose wisely or to choose unwisely. And I fully supported his right to his freedom so I had to support his choice to behave inappropriately. But at the same time by not asking him to explain himself wasn't I treating him differently solely because of his race?

I waited for the light and I crossed and headed back to the car. All the while wondering what Dr. King would have thought of the Birmingham I was seeing as I walked. The entire area, the boarded up businesses that used to thrive in this historically black district, the men laying about in Kelly Ingram Park, and the deal for stolen property that was going on two spaces over from my car when I got to it - all of it saddened me. And made me realize I don't need to return to Birmingham until I have thicker skin.