African American Heritage Trail Essay

John C. Gardner once said “History never looks like history when you are living through it.” For the people who lived during the Juneteenth, Jim Crow South, and even slavery they may have never believe that their lives would be recognized on this trail. For many of them I’m sure it was no easy road, but today we honor their legacy with not only this trail but by preserving their legacy by teaching the youth about their triumphs and accomplishments during such a strenuous time for African American individuals. I began my journey through the African American Heritage trail with the Basilica of Immaculate Conception. The site itself was keeper of records for births, deaths, and origins of Spanish, African, and French ancestors. It is also the

During the civil rights movement in the sixities, an organization by the name of NOW or Neighborhood Organized Workers came together and held weekly meetings on how to help the African American community. Nuns and priest were even sometimes jailed because they insisted on helping their brethren in their time of need. In travelling to Stone Street Church, I ventured down Dr. Martin Luther King Ave. This street was originally named after Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and known as Davis Avenue. However during the sixties, this was the main area for African American businesses, streets were literally lined with black owned businesses such as Finley Drug and Johnson-Allen Mortuary. This is ironic because during the Jim Crow era of separate but equal, all the hustle and bustle black owned businesses were nestled right together on the street named after the President of the Confederacy. I mentioned Finley Drug earlier, James Finley was the first African American to own a chain of drugstores in the state of Alabama. An advocate for his community, Finley not only gave jobs to various people in his community with his five stores. He also served as vice president of the NOW leadership movement. Finley Drug store was leveled in an urban renewal project in the sixties, nonetheless Finley was instrumental in so much change in his community I would be remissed if I had not mentioned