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The city of Montgomery played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks in 1955 refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man, drawing national attention to the unfortunate racial segregation of the South at the time. For her courage, Rosa Parks earned the well deserved title of the "first lady of civil rights."
At left, is the Alabama State Capitol, which opened in 1851. When Alabama seceded from the Union, it was briefly the Capitol of the Confederacy. A century later, Martin Luther King's historic march from Selma to Montomery - another pivotal moment in the push for civil rights - ended at the Capitol steps. Civil Rights activists such as Ralph Abernathy, actor/singer Harry Belafonte, and folk singer Joan Baez were also a part of this march which called attention to equal voting rights.
Several musical giants have hailed from Montgomery incuding jazz great Nathaniel Adams Cole (better known as Nat King Cole), R&B artist Clarence Carter, and country music legend Hank Williams, Sr. Alan Jackson wrote and performed "Midnight in Montgomery" to honor Hank, Sr.
http://www.artistdirect.com/video/alan-jackson-midnight-in-montgomery/33868
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Today's photo contribution is provided by Anna herself as she detoured an hour and a half out of her way en route from Atlanta to Starkville to provide this first person dispatch.