The Dora Franklin finley africanamerican heritage trail in mobile alabama includes over 40 Historical Markers the tell the history of the city from the former location of a slave market to the civil rights era. Previously unamerican artifacts, tour guide eric finley took us from the slave market to africatown, founded by captives of the slave ship clotilda. Up next on par to, we pick up the story after the civil war with mr. Finley describing how African Americans established build businesses on the north side of town. This is the first African American mortuary in the state of alabama. They originally opened in the 18 eighties and built this building in the 19 hundreds. The real story is mrs. Alan. She started a private school directly behind us in the 18 eighties. It was just called joseph fiend allen institute. Before the emancipation proclamation, that was against a lot for African Americans to be educated. After that, schools started opening everywhere. She opened one to educate young African Americans. This family actually came to mobile from virginia, so they were never slaves. They were free and they were somewhat elite because they had a big home down near the city. In the 1880s and 1890s did not have large homes. They had a lot of friends and some of their friends were booker washington, George Washington carver. Entrepreneurs and businessmen. These guys would go fishing. Because of that relationship, a lot of her students got to go to Tuskegee University in the 1890s and 19 hundreds and on. That meant that when they graduated, they became entrepreneurs. They became teachers. They became businesspeople. They became doctors and just very successful throughout the country. So that relationship was a great bonding that they had during that time. The funeral home closed two years ago when the last sibling of the alan family the past. Just recently, it has been announced that it is going to reopen under another family mortuary. That is to take place in the near future. From here we will visit some other entrepreneurs and we will eventually and the tour with a general by the name of wallace turn inch. He was a slave that runway four times and got caught and ultimately got to mobile. We will talk about how he eventually got his freedom. This is stone street baptist church. It is the Oldest Baptist Church in the state of alabama. It was established in 1806, which was 13 years before alabama was even a state. I did not say oldest African American church. It is the Oldest Baptist Church in the state of alabama. The story goes that the individuals who worshiped here, they would be singing spirituals with so much conviction and passion that their owners started having headaches and nightmares. Ultimately, he emancipated them. He set them free. They were warshiping not too far from here and they moved to this location. Not only was it against the law for African Americans to be educated in alabama, it was against the law for them to have property in their name. Fortunately, this was an integrated parish and the property was de did in the parishioners name. They continued to worship together here until somewhere around did 1860. They move the African American parishioners who continue to build the church and in 1930 they decided they would build a new church. We all know what was going on in the 1930s, the great depression. However, they felt so strong about their fate that they started the project and completed it. The church was one of the places few places during this period that African Americans could truly be themselves because they worked very hard all week. Oftentimes they wore uniforms and in sunday could dress up in their best and be themselves in their African American church. That is the experience that we read about with stone street that was established in 1806 and it is the Oldest Baptist Church. We are now in the heart of the African American community. During the civil rights days, back with Martin Luther king and when he came to mobile in 1959, this is the International Long sherman building. This is where the long sherman used to come to find out what jobs they had. There would be a big chart in there with the boats they were assigned to. Theres also an auditorium through these red doors. In 1959, back when Martin Luther king came to mobile, and this was the only time that he spoke in mobile was in this building in 1959. Local 14 ten. Because of the state docks, we had a lot of longshoreman eye prior to all of the equipment nowadays at the do all of that work. Theres still a significant number of longshoreman, but nowhere near what it used to be before you had the equipment that we have today to do a lot of that work. It was all manual labor. All right, so we are now approaching the African American archives museum. Unfortunately, it closed two years ago because of a mold problem. It started in the hvac system and moved to the walls and the ceiling. They had to close it and they moved the artifacts down to the History Museum of mobile. They are under lock and key there. The city has committed to make it compliant. They have restored the inside. They will then come to the community to see if we want to continue with the African American heritage museum, or maybe a cultural museum, so that is open for discussion in the future. When i was growing up this was the public library. This was the only library that African Americans could go in. Even though weve always been 47 to 50 of the population in mobile, and now there are four or five other libraries, this was the only one, regardless of where you lived, if you are black, but you could go in. What we did know was that, when we got new books, there were the old books from the Main Public Library. So we made lemonade from the lemons that we had. The whole thing i remember was that no one ever told me i couldnt talk or i had to be quiet. When we opened those doors, there were two little old ladies sitting behind a desk who would look at you like they had laser beams in their eyes and bring you up if you made any noise. Strictly zero tolerance. We go on a quick historical trip that, in the 1860s we had the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment passed. African americans were than in the fasttrack. We had alabama and mobile representatives in montgomery and d. C. We had u. S. And local senators and everything was working like it was supposed to as far as a democracy. Then the most profound thing that we remember that happened was that when the guys set on the bus, the train car in new orleans and said im going to covington. They said you cant sit here, he was an African American. They said you cant sit here, he says yes i can. That case goes all the way up to the Supreme Court and that was plessy versus ferguson. The decision with separate but equal. At the time, blacks were considered colored. The first train car is going to be for whites, the one on the back is going to be four colors. So its separate and equal, but you cannot sit with us. And that started just an enormous amount of different disparities. Because right after that we had the jim crow laws. Jim crow laws, white entrances and colored entrances. White restaurants and colored restaurants. We then had the ku klux klan who intimidated African Americans from voting. In alabama, most of the men that had weapons where the confederate soldiers. They became the policeman. They then created all of these laws. If you are standing on the corner you could be arrested. They amended the state constitution to say that if you were incarcerated, you could be subcontracted out for labor. That meant they would arrest people and put them right back on the plantation to work. During the same time, we had all of the lynchings from 1860. Thousands of lynchings that took place from that time. We had all these things happening during that period right up until 1954 with brown versus board of education and things settled a little. It was another ten years before the civil rights bill was passed. After that happened, we could go to any library in the city, not just the one here. The signs were finally taken down and integration took place. Even the schools werent integrated or the segregated until 1970. So this facility kind of paints that story for us, of the things that took place during that time. When you see our brochure, you see what theyve done with this building to show the difference in the size, even though African Americans were 60 of the population. It was designed by George Rogers, he was a premier architect in mobile at that time. He designed the Main Public Library as well, as well as several other buildings, but that is the national African American archives museum. So lets walk down and im going to talk about during the 19 eighties, we had something come through mobile called urban renewal. Urban renewal removed a lot of buildings, but did not renew anything. As we go down this street, this is the African AmericanShopping Center of mobile. There was nothing but black businesses on this street. Any and everything that you needed, you could purchase on the street. It was kind of, during the jim crow days, either you were not accepted in the White Community or you were scared to go, so businesses opened up in the African American part of the community where you could shop and buy clothes and food or go to the movies. You could see your physician or the dentist. You could get your prescriptions filled, whatever you needed. You could purchase it on the street. Appliances, restaurants, hats, clothing, shoes, it was all on this particular street. When renewal came through here, there used to be a two Story Building right here. It was the Franklin Building and on the bottom floor was the drugstore. It was called finleys drugstore number three. Well dora father started the first chain of drugstores in alabama. My father was his oldest brother. They were both pharmacists. The younger brother had more energy and created five drugstores. My uncle was a member of a group of neighbors that started a Civil Rights Organization called norm neighborhood organized workers. Their philosophy was they wanted to increase the Living Standards of African Americans in the community and provide some racial reconciliation. Well in the fifties, there was a gentleman from mobile by the name of mr. John lafleur. He was a premier civil rights leader. I think this is the hundreds hundred hundred and 58 year of the amendment and allowing ladies to vote as well. Mr. Laflore was on this building on the second floor. They had been working with the city trying to get improvements in the neighborhood and trying to improve racial relations throughout the city. He was president of the naacp. Well, they outlaw the naacp in alabama in the 19 fifties. Mr. Lieu floor being the astute person that he was, he starter not organization started the national voting. We did have a national backing. They continue to work neighborhood organize workers. That acronym was now you. And in the sixties, things started to move a little faster. And they were wanting results. They were like, we want things to happen now. And one of the most profound legal things that happened was mobile was set up with three districts. None of which had a majority of African Americans so there was never an African American city commissioner and because African Americans were 45 to 50 of the population, the Community Never failed to get their fail fair return being paid, street lights, community centers. But they were never at the table when the money was being allocated. So they had no idea. Ultimately, the city was sued and the case was called bolden versus the city of mobile. Goes all the way to the Supreme Court. Supreme court looked at it, we want to act on this the lower coat center back to mobile. And it went to the capital was in the marietta act. Ultimately, it came back to the citizens to vote on. The citizens voted on it and it was approved. And when it was approved and split the city up into seven districts, three of them which were majority African American. So we had an African American representative at the table since 1984. And we have also had an African American mayor. So now, those individuals represent their district. Each district currently is getting 3 Million Dollars per district. If they dont spend the money like the constituents want, obviously they will vote someone else in. But, at least, we are sitting at the table now. When decisions are made, and when the money is allocated, which means that it can be spent in their communities, as opposed to other areas of the city. It is probably one of the most profound decisions ever made in the city. It took them Something Like ten years to get through the system. The judge that finally made the decision, there were articles in our press registry, they want him to leave the country. He was not well received after that. But things have moved. We are moving forward in the city. Theres still a lot of work to be done. But that was probably one of the greatest. Milestones of an African American community to benefit from during that time. It was as a result of neighborhood organizing. In most cases, in urban renewal it comes into a community, not only do they bomb a business but then they have a design for the renewal with financial plans to start those new businesses. If im living in a 250,000 dollar home that i built 20 years ago, and i want to replace it to the equivalent, its going to cost me probably 400, about 500,000 dollars today. A lot of these businesses, they purchased them, but they had no plan to restore them. As a result, this community has been in the state, ever since then. We are at a church which was established in 1899, originally a st. Anthonys. St. Anthony is the sign of hope, that was relevant during that period of time. African americans definitely needed hope. Someone made an anonymous donation for them to change the name to most pure heart of Mary Catholic church. That was done. It was initially established for the cradles and African Americans of the mobile community. Its been a Thriving Church in the community ever since. It has a parochial school. It has the first through the eighth grade. There was a high school, a two Story Building and a High School Closed in 1968. We had a national figure, alexis hermon, who became a secretary of labor during bill clintons administration. She came to school here. This is where she graduated from. Some of the reasons that its on the trail is that during the civil rights days, neighborhood organized workers had to have a place to meet. Ultimately, the School Cafeteria was the only place in the city that would allow them to meet, to strategize on how they were going to approach the problems that existed in the African American community, in trying to resolve them with the city. The nuns and the priests here, because this street was the main thoroughfare to the African American community, during the civil rights days, all of the marches would come down this street. And when those marches took place, these nuns and priests would be on the front lines. In fact, i remember door with me, she was about 15 at the time. The junior miss pageant was here, today its called the distinguished women of america, and there are 50 young ladies from all over the country. Quickly, they said this will be a good time to march, because we could get word out to the rest of the country on the problems that we are having in mobile, because there will be reporters from all over the country. They established a march, they marched down to the auditorium, a place that was frequently visited and supported by the African American community. But there were no African Americans that works there or on the board. To make these decisions. And as soon as they got their, they arrested them and they took them to jail in the paddywagon. On that particular occasion, mr. Leflore was on the sidewalk standing up, and he was not a part of the march, nor was he a part of the demonstrations. He was just basically observing what was going on. They arrested him. Theres a famous picture around town of him with the handcuffs on. And they took him to