Honoring the Civil Rights Movement

Mark Ezell believes the stories of the Civil Rights Movement can change the world.As commissioner of the TennesseeDepartment of Tourism Developmentand chair of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance, Ezell has seen firsthand how interactive encounters with the Civil Rights legacy can make lasting impacts on travelers.Q: Mark, tells us about the Trail?

A: The U.S. Civil Rights Trail — a collection of more than 130 sites related to the social and political movement of the 1950s and1960s — is a captivating experience. Our dream is to increase the number of visitors, both domestically and internationally, that come to these important sites to not only learn but also have transformed hearts that will ultimately change the world.


Q: How did you come to be passionate about this project?A: I’m a perfect example of someone who had not been exposed to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. I went in the first few months after I became commissioner, and it was one of the most powerful experiences I have had in my five years on the job.Q: What does the US Civil Rights Marketing Alliance do?

A: Launched in 2018, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a cooperative effort to showcase historic sites, churches, museums and other places of interest integral to the Civil Rights Movement. The trail stretches from Topeka, Kansas, to Wilmington, Delaware, to Sarasota, Florida. In the six years since its launch, the trail has brought significant levels of media coverage and public interest to its member sites and attractions. Its website, civilrightstrail.com, has logged more than 5 million visits from 43 countries. Additionally, the trail’s 23-episode podcast has won accolades from the U.S. Travel Industry Association.


Q: What’s next for the Trail and the Marketing Alliance?A: Our accomplishments are early steps on a longer journey. We can expand our reach, both in the number of sites and in the visitor experience. And we believe there are new levels of success we can bring in our promotion, marketing and support of the sites.  In addition to adding new sites, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance is looking at ways to deepen connections between sites within specific communities and across the trail as a total travel experience. I recently drew inspiration from an alliance board meeting in Montgomery, where numerous Civil Rights sites work closely together to create an immersive and moving visitor experience throughout the community. That really excited all of us, and we started realizing the importance of stakeholder engagement. In Tennessee, for example, we started to analyze how we are working with guides and storytellers at the Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library and the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. We also began to ponder how we are engaging them with us and each other.


Q: Final Thoughts – What do you want people to do?A: There are more than 130 sites on the trail, mostly in the South. My hope is that we can figure out  how we can get them to be connected with us at the state level, within their cities and also to each other. Also, that they will build on each other, so a visitor can connect a lot more of the stories. To accomplish this, the marketing alliance is conducting survey work with its trail sites and creating new strategies and marketing plans to be implemented in the coming years. The work is not just about promoting sites but also facilitating deeper change for visitors and communities. In short, we want more people to visit the places on the Trail.  Next, we want people to share their experiences with friends and family.  Also, they can visit the website www.civilrightstrail.comlisten to the Podcasts and enjoy the Spotify playlist and, of course, read and share the latest issue of the US Civil Rights Trail Travel Planner available at www.TravelSouthUSA.org.


Read the US Civil Rights Trail 2024 Travel Guide here