BIRMINGHAM, Alabama-- Dogs and firehouses being turned on protesters violent confrontations with police and children being hauled off in paddy wagons: These are some of the iconic images that came out of Birmingham's Kelly Ingram Park during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. For years, statues and signs commemorated these events in silence, but now an audio walking tour is bringing history back to life for visitors.
According to Dilcy Hilley, vice president of marketing at the Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, the technology for audio tours has been in place since 2003. But, the equipment was out of date and being rented out by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute only during museum hours.
When the bureau thought about revamping the tour, convenience was at the forefront.
"We thought we need to make this accessible any hours and accessible by cell phone, which is what most everybody has," Hilley said.
[Download the audio clip by right-clicking this link and selecting "Save As..."]
The new audio tour was launched in November with the help of a $20,000 grant from the Alabama Tourism Department. Now, visitors can use the keypad on their cellphones to listen to brief descriptions the historical significance of each statue.
One other consideration was making the tour stimulating for several age groups. When Hilley sat down to write the script, she said she tried to keep it simple while still making it exciting.
"We were sort of challenged with the notion that all ages have cell phones." Hilley said. "We wanted to make it elementary enough so that younger children could appreciate the tour, but not so much so that adults couldn't appreciate it as well."
The tour is great for newcomers and younger visitors, according to her.
"I hope that for some people, especially younger people who really don't have a whole lot of knowledge about what went on in Birmingham in 1963 that this tour will help them better understand and better appreciate the sacrifice that was made here."
One of those younger people also happens to be the voice behind the tour. Byron King, a 20-year old theater major at UAB, was contracted to use his voice to guide visitors in the park.
The audio tour was his first voice-over job. Hilley said the bureau selected King because he didn't sound like a regular radio DJ. For his part, King said the historical significance of the project drew him in.
"Just going through there, I've seen the statues...but when I read the script, it struck me," he said
Although he was familiar with the events of Civil Rights Movement, he learned even more when he recorded for the tour. He said the experience gave him more of a personal connection with history.
"You go through here and you see the statute of the dogs jumping at the little kids, you see the kids behind the bars and to see the water cannons that they actually used in that particular area and on those streets, there's no way you can't take it personal as an African-American male," he said.
But, it's not just for African-Americans.
"To walk around and to get a historical account of it, it puts in perspective whether it be white, black, brown," he said. "It doesn't matter. To take that tour, it helps you imagine it a lot better. If you can play something in your imagination, it makes it more real to you."
Kelly Ingram Park's audio walking tour is free and available at 307-5455.