Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/26753
ing in 1963 that killed four little girls. Kelly IngramPark became the focal point of the grassroots resistance for the humanities and injustices of racism and dis- crimination. Sculptures created for the park show attacks on demonstrators, the arrest of children, and a tribute to the con- tributions of clergy in the struggle. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute chronicles the strug- gles of the Civil Rights Movement. Visitors experience for themselves the courage of those who fought so hard for free- dom and equality. The Human Rights Gallery takes visitors beyond Birmingham to look as issues around the world. Structures include a concession stand, bathhouse and an octagonal carousel house with three picnic pavilions and a 70- ft.wood tunnel forminiature trains,which still stands today. In 1944, the Navy conducted Negro training here since Blacks could not be trained on other beaches. In 2008, after a major restoration project, the park was re- opened and is a top tourist draw in Miami. D.A. Dorsey is widely recognized as one of Miami’s most famous early Black residents. The D.A. Dorsey home is a great place one to learn about African-American history South Florida style. Dorsey, who eventually became a millionaire, purchased lots in Miami for $25 and advertised himself as the only licensed colored real estate dealer in the city. Dorsey organized the region’s first Black bank, and served as chairman of the Colored Advisory Committee of the Dade County School Board and as a registrar for Black Men during Word War I. Other places of note in Miami include; the Hampton House, Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Lincoln Memorial Park and The Lyric Theater. Tampa is one of the premiere des- tinations in the country when it comes to celebrating Black heritage. January 2011 marks the 11th annual The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival. Festivities include a jazz fes- tival, a 5K-walk, heritage movie night, battle of the bands and so much more. Check out the Black History and And what would any tribute to African-American culture be without music. The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame honors great jazz artists with ties to the state. Exhibits convey the accomplishments of Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Erskine Hawkins. Other places of note to visit in Birmingham the Fourth Avenue Business District, Alabama Penny Savings Bank, A.G. Gaston Gardens and Tuxedo Junction. Florida has done an excellent job of preserving their African-American heritage tourism offering. Back in 2007, the Florida Division of Historic Resources published the Florida Black Heritage Trail. This book provides an excellent resource for visitors to the state looking for those gems of Black her- itage. There is an online e-book at http://www.nxtbook.com/- nxtbooks/milesmedia/floridablackheritage/ or you can get a hard copy of the book by callingVisitFlorida at (888) 735-2872. Miami has several sites of significance toAfrican-Americans for all to enjoy starting withVirginia Key Beach. In 2002, this beachwas listedontheNationalRegistryofHistoricPlaces. On August 1, 1945Dade County officials designated this beach for the exclusive use of Negroes. Back the then beach was only accessible by boat froma dock on theMiamiRiver. 36 Art Museum located inside the Paradise Missionary Baptist Church in the heart of the Central Avenue District once called “The Scrubs” for photographs, documents and artifacts chron- icling the Black experience. Other places of note in Tampa include the North Franklin Street Historic District, The Jackson House and the St Peter Claver School. The Florida panhandle community of Pensacola is the birth home of one of America’s top military leaders. Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr., was the first Black four-start general in U.S. military history. Shortly after his retirement in the late 1970s many were recruiting James to run for Lt. Governor of the state of Florida before he died of a heart attack. The pri- vate residence where he was born still stands and a marker in his honor is located in the city’s Memorial Garden on Martin Luther King Boulevard. The Julee Cottage Museum in Pensacola is a simple wood- frame building built around 1804. It’s the city’s only surviving “sidewalk to street” construction. It belonged to Julee Patton a free woman of color who purchased the freedom of fellow enslaved Blacks and today serves as a Black history museum. The Orlando area was home to a group of highly educated Black Meetings & Tourism January/February 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com