For two Saturdays in April, Birmingham historian Barry McNealy will give free walking tours
Renowned historian Barry McNealy isn’t hard to find. A longtime educator, McNealy is the historical content expert at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute where he gives tours and works with the BCRI staff to design programming.
McNealy is just as busy outside of the institute. When he isn’t leading historical walking tours around different cities in Alabama, he’s in a classroom or behind a podium, moderating panels or giving lectures.
Barry McNealy speaks to visitors outside of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on July 24, 2021. (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)
Barry McNealy speaks to culinary and religious historian Adrian Miller outside of the BCRI on May 7, 2022 (Shauna Stuart| Al.com)
This month, those interested in learning about history from McNealy will have two additional opportunities– for the last two Saturdays in April (April 22 and April 29), McNealy will give free walking tours of Kelly Ingram Park.
The tours– a partnership with the Alabama Department of Tourism, begin at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Fred Shuttlesworth statute at the BCRI.
Historically known as West Park, Kelly Ingram Park was a landmark site during Birmingham’s civil rights campaign of the 1960s. Birmingham police attacked demonstrators with police dogs and billy clubs as they made their way through the park during protests.
The Kneeling Minsters sculpture in Kelly Ingram Park is a tribute to the clergy members who helped lead and organize demonstrations during Birmingham’s civil rights movement . (Shauna Stuart| Al.com)
In 2017, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation designating part of Birmingham’s civil rights district as a national monument. The declaration made a portion of the area- which includes Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the A.G. Gaston Motel, 16th Street Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist Church, the Colored Masonic Temple, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and portions of the 4th Avenue Business District–part of the National Park Service. The collection of historic sites is collectively known as the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.
Kelly Ingram Park is also a training ground for the BCRI’s Legacy Youth Leadership Program, the institute’s flagship initiative to help high school students develop leadership skills through public speaking and civic engagement.
Members of the 2021 BCRI Youth Leadership Program pose for a photograph after their commencement ceremony. (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)
Tour guides with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Youth Leadership Program talk about the Three Kneeling Ministers sculpture in Kelly Ingram Park. (Shauna Stuart| Al.com)
Throughout the multi-week instruction, students in the program learn the history of Birmingham under the instruction of the BCRI staff. The students also learn to give tours of both the institute and surrounding historic sites, including Kelly Ingram Park.