Montgomery, is the capital of the State of Alabama and has a historic association with the plight of African Americans. Incorporated in 1819, the city went on to become both the cradle of the Confederacy during the Civil War as well as the cradle of the Black Civil Rights Movement in modern times.
I had the occasion to be in Montgomery as part of a visit to Head Start educational campuses in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Being in the city, the place where Martin Luther King led so many people for the sake of freedom, reminded me of the dark day of this icon’s death.
On the afternoon of Thursday, April 4, 1968 I was on the campus of the University of Kansas wrapping up a day of study and preparing to attend a Bill Cosby show. It was a couple of hours before that event when we heard of the murder of Dr. King in Memphis.
Cosby attempted to do the show but had to stop after a short set. We knew that King’s death was a profound loss to the Black community and to the country.
That moment 55 years ago stayed on my mind as I visited Montgomery. We first went to the see Senator Kirk Hatcher, a Black member of the Alabama legislature and a dear friend. He arranged for a public recognition of our group by the Senate followed by a private audience with him in one of the committee rooms. We discussed the historical significance of the city as well as unique places to take in.
Soon after its incorporation in 1819, Montgomery became a very important slave-trading community. It confirmed its role in this inhuman business when in 1833 the city banned free Black people from residing there and “enslavement was the only legally authorized status of African Americans in Montgomery.”
We visited the Alabama River dock where slaves had been taken off ships and walked to warehouses to be prepared for their sale. There were four markets that sold slaves at the going rate of $1,500 for a strong worker and $3,000 for a one with artisan skills.
On February 4, 1861, the first six southern states succeeded from the Union and proclaimed Montgomery their national capital. Jefferson Davis was elected the President here and stayed in this city until the capital was moved to Richmond, Virginia.
Montgomery was also the site of the early Civil Rights Movement. We had the opportunity to see the statue of Rosa Parks near the bus stop where she began her journey into history by refusing to move to the back of the bus and give up her seat on December 1, 1955.
What followed was her arrest and conviction and a successful bus boycott by the Black community that lasted for over a year from December 5, 1955 to December 20, 1956. A decade later Martin Luther King led three major voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery.
The great civil rights victories achieved by the African American community in Montgomery and elsewhere however, represent only a beginning of a long journey. In this regard there is a saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
While we were there as a Black State Secretary of Early Childhood Education, Dr. Barbara Cooper, was forced to resign because of statements about the effect of racism on children were found in a training manual distributed to teachers in the state. It is with heavy hearts that we continue the difficult journey.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of La Voz Bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
