MONTGOMERY — As the nation honored the memory and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Alabama’s tourism chief discussed his book on the civil rights trail.
Lee Sentell, the longest-serving state tourism director in the nation, wrote “The Official United States Civil Rights Trail: What Happened Here Changed the World”; it was released last June.
Sentell is in his fifth term in the Cabinet position. He was the first director of marketing at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and recruited the first 100,000 students to Space Camp. A journalism graduate of Auburn, Sentell was city editor at The Decatur Daily before becoming founding director of the Decatur Tourism Bureau.
Most recently, the department’s U.S. Civil Rights Trail campaign received the International Travel and Tourism Award for best regional promotion at the World Travel Market in London, becoming the first U.S. state tourism agency to be honored.
In his book, Sentell named Birmingham “the heart” of the Civil Rights movement. He suggested visiting the 16th Street Baptist Church, site of the infamous bombing Sept. 15, 1963, that killed four young girls. He also recommends the Gaston Motel, King’s headquarters during some of the marches in Alabama.
Sentell was interviewed by Rick Steves, who hosts the podcast “Travel with Rick Steves,” about his book and the trail.
“This is a virtual travel experience that you’ve given us with this book,” Steves said. “I can sit here and read through it, and it’s so vivid. It’s not designed to tell me what time this museum opens, but it’s designed to tell me why this museum is important, and it really gives you a respect for this.”
Among Sentell’s recommendations were the Lincoln Memorial where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech; the Barbara Johns memorial in Richmond, Va.; the site of a former Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, N.C., where a sit-in was held in 1960; and Memphis, for the motel where King was assassinated and the National Civil Rights Museum.
The podcast can be found on or iTunes.
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