2005 Civil Rights Journey. Birmingham. Thursday, July 14.

If you ever have the time to visit only one civil rights site, go directly to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Part museum, part "living institution," it sits like a small college across from Kelly Ingram Park, where more than 1,000 children were arrested in protests against local segregation in May 1963.

The idea to have the children protest, a stroke of genius by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), flooded the jails and brought national criticism of the police, and local and state governments. President John F. Kennedy dispatched 3,000 soldiers to stave off riots and enforce a desegregation agreement. Statues in the park today represent the German shepherds and high-pressure firehoses that terrorized peaceful protesters and shocked millions watching the nightly news.

The institute's museum captures the entirety of the civil rights struggle with an encyclopedic flair. We pace through the exhibit halls, giving ourselves over to the sights, sounds, and videos. The museum's strong sense of narrative helps us sort the many stories we have absorbed this week into one overriding story whose themes are struggle and triumph. We will no doubt draw on the memories of this week in later years when we need to summon a source of inspiration or a jolt of encouragement as we go on to face new struggles.

We have come this week in many roles -- as allies, activists, and friends, but also as historians.