On Monday, January 16th, our country will celebrate and remember the life of a truly inspiring figure. Martin Luther King Jr, the bastion leader for civil rights is remembered every third Monday in January. And, rightly so.
Dr. King was a proponent for peaceful protests against the injustices faced by African Americans. His writings on freedom and equality were so powerful and so widely read, that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. His courage and his teachings became the influence for an epic march that has become an American legend, with a surprising connection to Covington, GA.
Selma, Alabama was a quiet Southern community dealing with intolerable discrimination. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had legally desegregated the South, many blacks were terrorized in their own homes and denied their right to vote in any election.
In 1965, this Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
This historic event was made into a highly successful film in 2014. Selma, starring David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey, is an account of Martin Luther King’s influence on the events in Selma. Some of the most memorable scenes were filmed in Covington, like the exterior of the courthouse that was used as the Hotel Albert. Visitors can still see the clerk desk, located inside the courthouse, on Covington’s local filming tours.
What a better way to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King than by visiting these local landmarks? All you need is a hotel reservation and you’re on your way! Visit Covington, Georgia and be inspired to have your own dreams, through the legacy of Dr. King and the memories of Selma.
