Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument


The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument is a United States National Monument in Birmingham, Alabama established in 2017 to preserve and commemorate the work of the Civil Rights Movement. The monument is administered by the National Park Service.

History

President Barack Obama signed a proclamation on January 12, 2017 which designated half of the Birmingham Civil Rights District as a U.S. National Monument. Other proclamations signed the same day established the Freedom Riders National Monument in Anniston and the Reconstruction Era National Monument in Beaufort County, South Carolina.

Scope

Birmingham was the site of the Birmingham campaign, Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail, the Children's Crusade with its images of students being attacked by water hoses and dogs, the bombing of the Gaston Motel – the movement's headquarters motel now designated as a National Monument – and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
The site also resides within the larger Birmingham Civil Rights District, which was designated in 1992 by the City of Birmingham.