Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History & Reconciliation Foundation
The Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History and Reconciliation Foundation stands in solidarity with the tens of thousands of non-violent protestors opposing the senseless killing of unarmed black citizens. The most recent killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd are the latest in a long and painful history of racial violence and compel us to examine the core values of American democracy.
Dedicated to preserving the history of racial justice and promoting racial reconciliation across West Alabama, The Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History and Reconciliation Foundation affirms progressive action that will bring down the walls of systemic and systematic racism. It stands against injustice of any form against any person. And it seeks to build a nation in which economic opportunity among and between citizens is a reality.
[Law Enforcement] The Foundation is in support of working with local governments and stakeholders to create a citizens’ advisory committee to improve community policing and root out both systemic and systematic racism in law enforcement across West Alabama.
[Community] The Foundation seeks to work with elected officials to achieve greater diversity and equitable representation in all areas of government.
What's New
Here are the Civil Rigths Trail videos introduced at the Tuscaloosa Heritage Festival. Thanks to all who made them possible.
Discrimination Begins, Part 1
Discrimination Begins, Part 2
Autherine Lucy and the Barbershop
Nonviolent Sit-Ins
Bloody Tuesday
Stories: In their own words
Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History Trail
Reconciliation: Putting words into action
Our Blog
UA Students enrolled in a Southern memory course tell the stories of Tuscaloosa County lynching victims
July 28, 2017 “Dr. John Giggie describes the eras most Americans refer to as Reconstruction, the Gilded Age and the Roaring Twenties as periods of racial terror for a significant portion of the country’s population.” Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility
BBC Radio Scotland – Sunday Morning with …
BBC Radio Scotland Broadcasts Tuscaloosa – 1.The Early Civil Rights Years Tuscaloosa – 2. Bloody Tuesday Tuscaloosa – 3.Truth & Reconciliation
Two Free Concerts in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Community at a Glance May 1, 2017 First African Baptist Church Sing Sistah Sing! May 2, 2017 First United Methodist Church An Evening of Song & Reconciliation
New UA Class Reveals History of Local Lynchings
February 27, 2017 “TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In the fall of 1933, Dennis Cross, a 50-year-old black man who was paralyzed from the waist down, was accused of sexually assaulting a white woman in Tuscaloosa.…” The University of Alabama News
In the News Again…
Our own Tim Lewis is featured in this Alabama News Center article.
Join us for an unveiling…
…of a historical marker memorializing eight African American men lynched in Tuscaloosa County between 1884 and 1933. Meet at 2803 6th Street, Tuscaloosa, AL, near the old county courthouse. Following the unveiling there will be a program at First African Baptist Church, 2621 Stillman Blvd, Tuscaloosa, AL.
An Evening with Billy Field
Tuesday, February 28 at 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM CST The University of Alabama Ferguson Theater 751 Campus Dr, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487 Billy Field is one of the few human beings left on the planet who saw a rocket shoot across the sky (on November 30, 1954), crash through a lady’s roof, bounce off her radio and hit her on her buttocks, making her the only human being in the history of the world to ever be hit by a falling star. He was five years old. He grew up and went to Hollywood where he made films and wrote… Continue Reading An Evening with Billy Field
Community Remembrance Project Update and Announcement
From: Jonathan Kubakundimana [jkubakundimana@eji.org] Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2017 10:19 AM To: Evan Milligan Subject: Community Remembrance Project Update and Announcement Good morning, Thank you for your patience and support as we proceed with our marker installation effort for the Community Remembrance Project in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We are happy to inform you that the historical marker is nearing the final stages of approval and we are waiting for City Council committee authorization for installation. Currently, we are exploring sites to hold the unveiling program and are looking at sites as close to the Old Jail/Capital Park area as possible. As… Continue Reading Community Remembrance Project Update and Announcement
Apology and Reconciliation
New York Times article, January 26, 2017: Nearly 8 Decades Later, an Apology for a Lynching in Georgia “LaGRANGE, Ga. — Some people here had never heard about the lynching of Austin Callaway — about how, almost 77 years ago, he was dragged out of a jail cell by a band of masked white men, then shot and left for dead….”
EDITORIAL: Task force tackles worthwhile mission
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 “Tuscaloosa, the University of Alabama and the state have an undeniable and important place in the history of the civil rights movement. History will long remember Gov. George Wallace’s “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door,” but that only scratches the surface of a deep and rich account of bravery, hatred and reconciliation that abounds in our area….” Tuscaloosa News
EDITORIAL: Task force tackles worthwhile mission
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 “Tuscaloosa, the University of Alabama and the state have an undeniable and important place in the history of the civil rights movement. History will long remember Gov. George Wallace’s “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door,” but that only scratches the surface of a deep and rich account of bravery, hatred and reconciliation that abounds in our area….” Tuscaloosa News
