A Birmingham hotel removed a photo of a Confederate veteran after complaints from guests.
Activist and writer Ahmar Mustihan said he doesn’t like watching it. photograph At the Tutwiler Hotel depicting 1916 Confederate veterans. reunion. The photo has a handwritten caption that reads, “26th Annual Confederate Veterans Alumni Reunion Tutwiler Hotel Lobby.”
Mustikan, who lives in Washington, D.C., was in town to commemorate the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
“Coming to Birmingham opened my eyes to the atrocities faced by the people of Birmingham in 1963 and today,” Mustikhan said.
Kay French, the hotel’s general manager, deleted the photo on September 18th. The hotel said in an email that it is working to determine a suitable replacement.
“I went to see this huge picture and I didn’t really know what to do because I didn’t know how safe I could react. As far as I know, Confederate veterans are actually members of the KKK ,” Mustihan said.
A group of Confederate soldiers founded the first chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, dedicated to ending white supremacy and Reconstruction in the South.
The Tutwiler Hotel opened in 1914 and helped make Birmingham a major destination in the South. The original building was demolished in 1974. A new luxury hotel with that name opened in 1986.
Mr. Mustikan wants to make sure meaningful changes are made, and has a photo on the hotel side of the four girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing: Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carol. Robertson, Dennis McNair), or one of them. Many of the city’s civil rights leaders.
He also contacted the Birmingham Civil Rights Association and worked with the hotel to determine a suitable replacement.
Samantha Elliott Briggs, deputy director of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, said in an email that she is working with the institute’s historical content experts and archives director to see if it is in a position to obtain Confederate photos. He said he is doing so.
“This photo can be displayed in educational institutions, but it should not be displayed in businesses, because in that case it will belong to the dustbin of history,” Mustihan said.
The activist believes a public apology is needed from the hotel.