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Please note: Guided tours are temporarily on hiatus. 

Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History & Reconciliation Foundation

Created to bring about positive change and reconciliation by collecting, preserving, and telling the stories of the important struggle for civil rights in Tuscaloosa. 

About

Our Mission

To preserve local civil rights cultural material, physical sites, and personal stories; to foster civil and human rights reconciliation efforts in Tuscaloosa; to provide educational opportunities for all ages; and to enhance tourism outreach in Tuscaloosa. Through our efforts, local, national, and international citizens will be informed about Tuscaloosa’s civil rights history, inspiring positive social change in our own community and beyond.

Our Vision

By valuing every voice in our community, the Foundation strives to implement honest historical inquiry as the principle means of understanding our past, informing our present, and imagining our future. Together with the City of Tuscaloosa, the Foundation will create a civil rights history museum and an education center to house collected materials and to offer interactive experiences, learning opportunities, reconciliation programs, and research opportunities. We seek to add Tuscaloosa experiences to the US national civil rights story. 

Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Trail

A Walk Through History

“If you cannot march, you can make sand­wiches. If you cannot make sandwiches, you can drive your car. If you cannot drive, you can help with office work. Everybody can do something. “WHAT WILL YOU DO TO HELP US WIN FREEDOM?” This is the story of ordinary citizens taking extraordinary action in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Our Stories

Howard-Linton Barbershop

The barbershop was one of the central gathering places for the black community apart from churches. In Tuscaloosa, the Howard-Linton Barbershop was a center for civil rights protest. Long-time owner and civil rights leader Rev. Thomas Linton maintained the story of the local struggle by preserving and showcasing mementos and artifacts in his shop.

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