The last of my Atlanta blog posts saw myself taking a solemn trip to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park. This is a space dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the Civil Rights Movement in general. This area also has the home where MLK was born, his tomb, and the church where he would go. This park is a relic of history that is important to preserve as a reminder of how one group of people used to treat another group of people. This park also serves as a reminder for the oppressors never to devolve themselves into this kind of behavior. Parking and admission is free, so if you are ever in Atlanta, you do not have much of an excuse to go to this place.
The MLK Visitors Center houses the main exhibit of MLK's life and career, as well as multimedia on the Civil Rights Movement and the treatment of black people in the South. The exhibit itself was sobering, as I would watch these videos and read these descriptions on how the black community endured bigotry and racism in their daily lives. It was a bit difficult to stomach at times, but ultimately, it was important to experience this.
Outside the Visitor Center and down the street is the birth home of Martin Luther King Jr. The Visitor Center offered tours to explore the birth home, but they were all booked for the day. Regardless, you can stand on the porch and look at this impressive renovated house. The house next door has a gift shop where your purchases go towards charity. Down the road from those houses is an old fire station with a re-creation of a classic fire truck, among other things to look at.
There is a plaza with a reflecting pool, and in the center of the pool rests Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King's tomb. On the other side of the tomb is the eternal flame, which is always alight to represent the current fight to realize MLK's ideals. I did not get to go to the Baptist Church and the MLK center, as I was pressed for time, but I did get to see the MLK garden, which is beautiful. I wish I had more time to explore the area, but I had a number of other places to go to that day.
More pictures below:
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