Tallahassee to commemorate civil rights with memorial

The Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency, the City of Tallahassee and Leon County Government will be hosting a special Footsteps to Freedom program on Monday at 6 p.m.

After the program, residents will be able to experience the new Tallahassee-Leon County Civil Rights Heritage Walk. Residents will be able to take a walk through time on the new artistic sidewalk that changed the Tallahassee community.

It will commemorate civil rights history in Tallahassee. It will have life-sized pictures of more than 50 civil rights protestors or foot soldiers that participated in Tallahassee’s civil rights movement, including the 1956 bus boycott and the 1960s lunch counter sit-ins.

Roxanne Manning, executive director of the CRA, said she is excited to share this with the community. Artisans of Florida State University’s Master Craftsman Studio helped build the memorial.

“The committee that chose the foot soldiers believes the sidewalk will be a valuable tool to teach the next generation about the civil rights activists in our community who opened so many doors for them,” Manning said.

Ryan Mack, a computer information systems student from Orlando, said Tallahassee is making big strides toward the future.

“It’s great that this college town continues to have exciting events that celebrate how far we’ve come as a people,” Mack said.

The event is free and will be in the City Commission Chambers on the second floor of City Hall on 300 S. Adams St. Refreshments will be served.