Created to bring about positive change and reconciliation by collecting, preserving, and telling the stories of the important struggle for civil rights in Tuscaloosa.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
The Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History and Reconciliation Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
MAILING ADDRESS: P O Box 71103, Tuscaloosa, AL 35407
