Fourteen large cities, mostly in the southern part of the country, are home to some of the most important US civil rights landmarks.
Topeka and the Brown v. Board National Historic Site are two of the most recognizable sites in the Midwest.
Brown v. The Board and Topeka are listed and detailed in The Official US Civil Rights Trail: What Happened Here Changed the World, a book written by Lee Sentell, Alabama tourism director.
The book tells the story of the cities, states and landmarks that played a role in the civil rights movement.
Readers will also find a civil rights timeline in the book that guides tourists when they choose to go. There are more than 120 civil rights in 14 states.
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“It’s an overview of what someone should know and why they should be interested in the civil rights movement,” Sentell said during his July 27 book tour in Topeka.
The book can be purchased at thisisalabama.org and Amazon for $ 19.95.
Topeka was the only town Sentell couldn’t visit while writing the book – a project he embarked on in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sentell said his visit enabled him to learn more about the city and Brown v. Board, which he would like to include in the second edition of the book, which is to be published in two years.
The aim of the book is to draw attention to the most important sites of the civil rights movement.
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“The civil rights movement is certainly the most important cultural event since the civil war,” said Sentell. “It’s not a small term.”
The book, Sentell said, should also be published around the time the Brown v. Board Historic Site is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Brown v. Board will be included in an ongoing nomination along with attractions in the southern states.
“In two years, this building will be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with about 10 others,” said Sentell.
Only 24 sites and national parks in the United States that have been declared World Heritage Sites.
Sentell said the inclusion of Topeka and Brown v. Board as a World Heritage Site will hopefully increase the number of visitors to the city.
“The attention it will bring to this building and this city and this state – money can’t buy that,” Sentell said. “Once this building is labeled, I think that looking to the future, people from all over the world will come to this place.”
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