We Will Rise: National Parks and Civil Rights

National Park Service

Imagine a National Park. Picturing waterfalls and mountains? Or Dr. King's childhood home, Japanese internment camps, and a school that became a battleground for racial integration? National Parks aren’t just wilderness. They are spaces of remembrance, preserving the stories of who we are and how we came to be. Join Park Rangers, researchers, authors, and activists as we discuss what liberty and justice for all means on our public lands. Opinions shared by guests are not the official position of the NPS.

Episodes

  1. 11/22/2022

    Episode 8: Brian Forist and Welcoming LGBTQ+ Folks into National Parks

    Join us for a conversation with Dr. Brian Forist, who is a researcher, author and park ranger. He currently works as a lecturer at Indiana University in Bloomington, and he is focused on visitor centered, two-way interpretation through dialogue on diversity, equity and inclusion, specifically related to the outdoors and environmental professions. He is serves as a guest editor of the May 2023 Special Issue of the Parks Stewardship Forum focusing on LGBTQIA+ experience and expertise in the outdoors.

    59 min

  2. 10/13/2022

    Episode 7: Gina Mallisham, Marketing Manager at BCRI, on her LGBTQ+ Advocacy Work

    Listen in as Gina Mallisham, Marketing Manager at Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) describes her advocacy work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community in Birmingham.

    40 min

  3. 08/29/2022

    Episode 6: Candacy Taylor, Author of Overground Railroad: The Green Book Roots of Black Travel in America

    Author Candacy Taylor discusses the Green Book, known as the “Black travel guide to America.” The conversation spans Black female entrepreneurs, the role of music and clubs in racial integration, and the prison-industrial complex.

    1h 14m

  4. 06/28/2022

    Episode 5: Racial Equity and Social Justice with Denise Gilmore

    Join Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument superintendent Kristofer Butcher as he interviews Denise Gilmore. Ms. Gilmore serves the City of Birmingham as the Senior Director in the Division of Social Justice and Racial Equity in the Mayor's office. The City of Birmingham and the National Park Service co-own and co-manage the A.G. Gaston Motel, and collaboratively support the other stakeholders that make up the National Monument

    49 min

  5. 04/13/2022

    Episode 4: But for Birmingham

    Tune in as we interview Dr. Glenn Eskew, author of the book But for Birmingham: The Local and National Movements in the Civil Rights Struggle.

    1h 18m

  6. 02/06/2022

    Episode 3: Ashley M. Jones, Poet Laureate of Alabama

    Listen in to our latest podcast with Ashley M. Jones, the first person of color to be the Poet Laureate for the state of Alabama. Ms. Jones shares what it means to her to hold this post, the magic in the Magic City, and lessons we can all learn from the movie Frozen. Join us.

    1h 45m

  7. 09/20/2021

    Episode 2: Rev. Shuttlesworth and the Freedom Rides

    In this conversation, we focus on Reverend Shuttlesworth's role in the Freedom Rides. Interviewees include Dr. Martha Bouyer, Executive Director at The Historic Bethel Baptist Church; Reverend Thomas Wilder Jr., the current pastor at The Historic Bethel Baptist Church, and one of Reverend Shuttlesworth's children, Mrs. Ruby Bester.

    1h 23m

  8. 05/25/2021

    Episode 1: Roy Wood, Jr. interviews Charles Person (Freedom Rider)

    Welcome to our first episode featuring Charles Person and Roy Wood, Jr. Charles Person was a Freedom Rider. Freedom Riders rode buses across the south to test Supreme Court rulings declaring segregation unconstitutional in restrooms, bus depots, and waiting areas. Roy Wood, Jr. is a comedian, best known for his work on the Daily Show. Raised in Birmingham, he has written that Alabama represents to him “painful history, new hope, and home.” Audio footage courtesy of Freedom Riders Park, Inc.

    41 min
  • 8 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Imagine a National Park. Picturing waterfalls and mountains? Or Dr. King's childhood home, Japanese internment camps, and a school that became a battleground for racial integration? National Parks aren’t just wilderness. They are spaces of remembrance, preserving the stories of who we are and how we came to be. Join Park Rangers, researchers, authors, and activists as we discuss what liberty and justice for all means on our public lands. Opinions shared by guests are not the official position of the NPS.

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