Euronews takes a trip to Birmingham, Alabama to explore how history has shaped this special southern city. In partnership with Brand USA and Alabama
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00:00 My name's Johnny Pitts and although I grew up in the UK, I've always been inspired by my father's African American heritage and the civil rights history in the American South.
00:11 So I'm on a journey along the civil rights trail to experience first hand the soul of the South.
00:18 Today I'm in Birmingham, Alabama.
00:26 I'm starting my journey at Kelly Ingram Park, a historic space packed with sculptures and monuments dedicated to the civil rights movement.
00:35 Barry McNeely from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute shows me around.
00:40 We discuss the city's important civil rights legacy.
00:44 When we look at Kelly Ingram Park, we have to go back to the 1970s.
00:48 The mayor of Birmingham traveled to Israel and he was exposed to an exhibit on the Holocaust.
00:56 And he became impassioned with the idea that if that story could be told in public to make the world a better place, then Birmingham had some storytelling to do as well.
01:05 It's so powerful as you're walking through that history. Could you tell us some of the stories that people will hear as they're walking through?
01:12 Kelly Ingram Park is called a place of revolution and reconciliation.
01:18 And it's revolution because there was a battle being fought there.
01:21 Thousands of young people are going to march in that park to the lunch counters at the department stores,
01:27 to the libraries where black people were not admitted unless they had a white person to vouch for them,
01:33 to City Hall where black people were not allowed to register to vote.
01:37 September 1963 really seems to me to be a boiling point.
01:42 The United Clan of America, in response to Birmingham integrating its school system, decided to bomb the 16th Street Baptist Church.
01:52 That church being a place of refuge and leadership, that bomb went off and four little girls are killed instantly.
02:01 There was a fifth girl there who was named. What we're talking about here was an unspeakable tragedy.
02:07 It literally shook the entire world.
02:11 But this city at its most heartbreaking moment started to find a way past the hate that caused that heartbreak.
02:19 And it became something that was transformative.
02:22 If people from around the world were to take anything from Birmingham, it is the notion that change is possible.
02:30 The people here in Birmingham had every reason not to believe that they could alter their circumstance, but they did it anyway.
02:38 It feels like every corner of Birmingham has a story to uncover.
02:46 How has this city's rich civil rights history felt today?
02:50 To understand more about modern Birmingham, I meet up with Alabama comedian Jermaine "Funny Mane" Johnson,
02:56 who lets me in on his local knowledge.
03:00 Born and raised in Alabama, but you've toured a lot of America through the comedy circuit.
03:05 What brings you back to Alabama, but specifically Birmingham?
03:08 This is a hidden gem. People are nice here. We've got great food, great beaches, great views.
03:13 What else do you need?
03:16 One of the amazing new features in Birmingham is this underpass known as the City Walk, which is just incredible.
03:21 The City Walk, it's got everybody in the city buzzing. They're happy to go down, enjoy concerts.
03:27 They're taking their families and their kids. It's just been a great addition for Birmingham.
03:31 It's going to be around for a long time.
03:33 So it's a very historic area. Between 19th to 16th Street, there were, you know, marches going on,
03:40 people fighting for their rights to be able to be diverse and do the things that we're doing now.
03:46 Modern Birmingham owes the civil rights movement everything.
03:51 Without them paving the way and showing that we could be better as a unified people, a diverse people,
03:57 we take race out of things and we just work. Possibilities are endless.
04:03 Do you ever worry that it's going to get too cool for school?
04:05 Like I could just see this as a type of city where there's going to be a few hipsters around here in a few years, if not a few months.
04:11 Oh, no, they're already here. But no, we welcome everybody. That only adds to the diversity.
04:16 Can you give me some of your favorite spots just between you and me and maybe half of Europe?
04:20 So tips to go when you're in Birmingham. It's going to depend on your flavor.
04:23 You know, if you like some down home southern food, I can take it to the east side, the west side.
04:28 If you like to party, I can take you to Lakeview. But of course, I'm a comedian.
04:32 So if you want to laugh, you've got to stop by the Start On Comedy Club.
04:35 If I mention your name, will I get any extra special?
04:37 Probably not. They may charge you more.
04:40 Birmingham has surprised me in so many ways and the local love for this city is really clear to see.
04:46 It feels like a mashup of cultures, attitudes, compelling history and southern charm.
04:52 And I can't wait to explore more next time I'm back in town.
04:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]