Lee Sentell – Alabama Tourism Director
MONTGOMERY-Travelers can now immerse themselves in civil rights history with the recent release of a new cultural travel book by Alabama Tourism Department Director Lee Sentell. The Official U.S. Civil Rights Trail companion book is designed to bring to life the stories and history of the American civil rights movement. The 128-page hardcover book is chocked full of never before seen images captured by former Southern Living photographer Art Meripol. The book was unveiled by Sentell on June 23 at a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park. Dr. Bernice King, (CEO of The King Center and the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King), Judy Forte, (National Park Superintendent), Mark Jaronski (Deputy Commissioner of Explore Georgia) and other civil rights leaders attended the press conference. 
The book allows travelers to follow the history of the movement while visiting more than 120 landmarks across 14 Southern states that served as battlegrounds for famous marches, activist rallies and non-violent demonstrations. The historic photos printed in the book, paired with the more than 200 images of the landmarks today, underscore the transformative experience of the trail for travelers. The book also provides a way for visitors to share in the journey of the civil rights movement and how “what happened here changed the world.”
Media Release/Alabama Tourism Department
