50 States in 50 Days: Alabama – Sweet Home

Posted by: John Gregg, Visa Chief

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Growing up in Alabama, I learned about the victories of the civil rights movement in my state from an early age. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. conducted some of his most famous marches here in places like Montgomery, Selma, and my hometown of Birmingham. You can visit sites from this history today among many others in a green, friendly, and sports-mad state.

Alabama Civil Rights Trail

Europeans settled Alabama in large numbers in the early 1800s. The settlers replaced the Native American population and developed an agricultural economy based on slavery. Alabama became the United States of America’s 22nd state in 1819, but seceded with several others at the start of the U.S. Civil War. The Confederacy’s first capital was in Montgomery, and even after the war, racial discrimination persisted for a long time. It took Dr. King and countless other civil rights activists to push Congress to end legal discrimination in the 1960s. Today, an entire district of Birmingham’s historic downtown is devoted to memorials of the protest era. The state’s economy is considerably more diversified that the cotton farms of the past. For instance, Birmingham has both a large steel industry and a significant medical sector, based at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville

The city of Huntsville played a key role in another aspect of America’s history: the space race. The rockets and capsules that carried American astronauts to the moon were developed there, and many have been preserved at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center along with other attractions. These include Saturn moon launch vehicles, Apollo Program command and lunar modules, and the U.S. Space Camp which attracts children from around the world.

 

Black History Month Highlights Accomplishments and Struggles of African Americans Part Two: From Martin Luther King Jr. to the Election of President Barack Obama

Posted by: Daniel Cisek, Deputy Press Attaché

Martin Luther King

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, espousing non-violent resistance to social injustice caught the attention of the nation with the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” In 1964 and 1965, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, which finally gave full legal equality to African Americans throughout the United States. Tragically, King was murdered in 1968 in Memphis by a white man who opposed his efforts to bring equality to African-Americans.

Legal equality didn’t bring full social or economic equality. Since the 1960s, there has

Barak Obama

been slow progress as more African-Americans enter the middle class, become better educated, and achieve prominent careers in all areas of society. In recent years, more young Americans have identified themselves as multiracial or mixed-race on census forms, indicating a softening of the rigid categories of black and white that had long defined American society. The election of Barack Obama in 2008 as the first African-American president was a major milestone, demonstrating that the country’s mindset had profoundly changed. However, major struggles remain for many in the African-American community, who suffer from significantly higher rates of unemployment and poverty compared to whites. Moreover, some urban communities face entrenched cycles of poverty, drug use, and violence.

Black History month is a time to examine this long and mixed story in all of its complexity. It’s the tale of a resourceful and spiritually strong people who have been striving for hundreds of years for equality, and to realize the goal set forth by Abraham Lincoln, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”

 

Black History Month Highlights Accomplishments and Struggles of African Americans Part One: From slavery to the first victory of the Civil Rights Movement in 1954

Posted by: Daniel Cisek, Deputy Press Attaché

Carter Woodson

With February drawing to a close, I would like to reflect on its significance for Americans as Black History Month, a time when we highlight the accomplishments and struggles of African-Americans, who make up 13% of the U.S. population.  African-American history began with a long period of involuntary servitude, followed by struggle, progress, and – two years ago – the historic election of the first African-American President Barack Obama in 2008.

Carter G. Woodson, a noted historian and son of former slaves, conceived of the idea of a Black History Week in 1926, choosing February to coincide with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist Frederick Douglass. This commemoration was later expanded to the whole month.

 

Exclusive Interview with Mary Wilson of the Supremes

Posted by: Daniel Cisek, Deputy Press Attaché 

Mary Wilson at the Ambassador's residence

Listen to Mary Wilson talking about Motown, the civil rights movement, her collection of gowns from the Supremes, and the “school of life” of a pop music star in an exclusive interview she gave to the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on Feb. 3. 

Mary Wilson wrote the following about her visit to Kyiv:

“I have had the most fabulous time here in the Ukraine. We were accepted so very well at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador John Tefft, here in Kiev. The Ambassador’s wife, Mariella, was so very gracious and came on stage with me to sing “Stop …In The Name Of Love”; actually it was in her living room!” -Mary Wilson of the Supremes

Mary Wilson and Mariella Tefft singing at the residence

Come see an interactive, multimedia exhibit at Ukrainsky Dim that tells the rags-to-riches tale of the most successful group of the 1960s, The Supremes! Amidst the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, the Motown sound emerged and grew to characterize the time. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn more about this era. The exhibit is FREE and open daily from Feb 4 to 14, 11AM – 7PM.



 

Prelude to Black History Month, Part Two: Mary Wilson of the Supremes

Posted by: Daniel Cisek, Deputy Press Attaché, and Heather Fabrikant, Deputy Cultural Attaché

As part of our commemoration of Black History Month, the U.S. Embassy is thrilled to be hosting Mary Wilson in Kyiv. She will perform a concert on February 4 at 7pm at The Concert Hall of the Tchaikovsky Music Academy (tickets can be bought at the box office) and The Story of the Supremes exhibit featuring the Supremes’ renowned fashion-defining dresses and a photographic tour of The Supremes and the civil rights movement will appear at Ukrainsky Dim (open daily from 11AM – 7PM from February 4 – 14).

One of the most successful musical groups of all time, The Supremes (Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson) skyrocketed to fame in the 1960s with a string of number one hit songs. Their glamorous style and broad appeal made them the most popular female group in America at the time, rivaling even The Beatles.

 

Prelude to Black History Month, Part One: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Posted by: Daniel Cisek, Deputy Press Attaché, and Heather Fabrikant, Deputy Cultural Attaché

During this week, we mark the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, one of the most important figures in American history. We’re also looking forward to February, which is Black History Month in the United States, a time to highlight the many contributions that African-Americans have made to our country. We will also be welcoming Mary Wilson to Kyiv in February. An original member of the legendary Motown group The Supremes, Mary Wilson’s life and music during the 1960s were connected to the struggle for civil rights led by Martin Luther King.

Martin Luther King (1929-1968) was a Baptist minister who led the struggle for equal rights for African Americans until his assassination in 1968. He espoused the principle of nonviolent resistance to injustice and oppression, in keeping with his Christian beliefs. He led the March on Washington in 1963, when he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. During the speech he spoke perhaps his best-known words: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”