This was, by far, the journey which had so much more political undertones and religious involvement than we have ever seen in our past. It began on a high note and later gave us concern about our history during the riots of the 1960’s. The beginning of our trip was a visit to one of favorite Presidents memorial center. Even though he had a unfortunate term in office, he has provided ample proof that he was and is the epitome of honor and integrity as a person. He has earned this distinction after he left office and continues to do so today. That why we visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center. Barbara had purchased his latest book and while he was in the Center, he was signing the books for those who purchased. I have a picture of this but can not find it now.
We were impressed with the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the center and it was probably what best represented Jimmy Carter best.
There was also a statue representing the Guinea worm disease which is caused by a parasitic infection that brings on devastating illness and incapacitates a person for a long period of time. Jimmy Carter’s work almost eradicated the disease in many countries with his funding and campaign for controlling it.
There was a very large crowd trying to get in to see the Carter Presidential Library while we were there, probably because his being present for the book signing.
We saw the Carter Center as a very beautiful place to visit.
After our time at the Carter Center, we drove around Atlanta and saw some sights, such as the J. Edgar Hoover Building where the FBI work.
We also saw the home of Margaret Mitchell and thought about her most famous book which made her famous and provided the material for a really good movie, “Gone With he Wind”.
We not only saw Martin Luther King’s house, but was able to tour the home and see many things about the King family..
We stood before a statue of Martin Luther King in Atlanta
Later, we went by the Ebenezer Baptist Church where his father and King both had been the pastors for the congregation.
We drove to Birmingham to see the places where so much unrest had occurred during the 1960’s and to view the statues that have come as a result of all the turmoil that came from the riots.
We saw the 16th Street Baptist Church where much of the trouble occurred and where four young girls were blown up by the haters who opposed any changes being made in the South.
This was copied from The National Park Service
On September 15, 1963, the congregation of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama greeted each other before the start of Sunday service. In the basement of the church, five young girls, two of them sisters, gathered in the ladies room in their best dresses, happily chatting about the first days of the new school year. It was Youth Day and excitement filled the air, they were going to take part in the Sunday adult service.