Traveling Freedom's Road: A Guide to Exploring Our Civil Rights History

"...such a book is sorely needed!" --- Dr. Terrence Roberts, member, Little Rock Nine

"...a must read." --- Patrick Weems, Emmett Till Interpretive Center

The US civil rights movement was one of the most important and patriotic eras in US history. Travel to experience and understand this consequential period is both rewarding and challenging.

Planning this journey isn’t easy. The distances to and between the places where this history happened are long. Travelers also must know when relevant museums, historic homes and churches, and other places of interest are open and when making appointments to visit are a must.

Traveling Freedom’s Road: A Guide to Our Civil Rights History makes this important journey easier and more meaningful. Not only are readers provided with comprehensive planning information on destination cities where this history occurred but they also benefit from narratives related to the people who made the civil rights movement one of the highest expressions of faith in our founding principles.

The book consistently shines a spotlight on many less-well-known individuals, especially women, whose bravery prompted important change. Engaging sidebars throughout the book inform readers about topics like:

• The inspirational work of Edna Griffin, Modjeska Simkins, Ella Baker, and many other women
• How Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott
• What shameful act of racial discrimination led singer Sam Cooke to write "A Change is Gonna Come"
• How student volunteers coming to Mississippi for Freedom Summer in 1964 were prepared for their challenging work

Readers, whether they choose to travel or opt to experience this history from their armchair, receive:

• Detailed guidance and history on over a dozen destinations representing some of greatest triumphs (Montgomery, Birmingham, Little Rock, etc.) and tragedies (Memphis, Philadelphia MS, and the Mississippi Delta) of the civil rights era.
• Full chapters containing relevant sites in fourteen Southern states from Florida, north to Virginia and west to Texas.
• Coverage of historic places germane to civil rights and African American history in 24 of the remaining 36 states plus Washington DC. This geographically-comprehensive approach encourages those less able to journey to the South to visit sites closer to their own homes.
• A richly-illustrated, professionally-designed book complete with a comprehensive index and endnotes pointing toward some of the best scholarship on the heroic people and change-making events covered.
• Resources for parents and teachers to generate awareness of and an interest in civil rights history among children and teens.

Traveling Freedom's Road: A Guide to Exploring Our Civil Rights History is comprehensive, current, and compelling.

Profits from the book benefit the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama and the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.

What Advance Readers and Reviewers say:

"Written with intentionality, passion, and precision, Hanrahan’s debut is both an historical account and a travel guide, published to illuminate civil rights and African American history..." ----BookLife Reviews, a division of Publishers Weekly

"This enhanced guide will...excite your spirit of inquiry, lead to growth in your fund of information, and provide a clearer picture of how the continuing battle for civil rights for all can help us form that more perfect union alluded to in our national narrative.” ----Dr. Terrence Roberts, a member of the Little Rock Nine

"Traveling Freedom’s Road is more than directions; it provides a picture of the people and places that animated the movement." ----Dave Tell, Co-Director, Emmett Till Memory Project

John J. Hanrahan grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island. Better known as Jack, he received his undergraduate degree from Boston College and two master's degrees and a Ph.D. from Indiana University. His career in marketing took him to Chicago, Atlanta, and New York City where, in that order, he worked for the Leo Burnett Company, a large full-service advertising agency, as the worldwide media director of The Coca-Cola Company, and the largest multinational media service company of the Omnicom Group.Jack and his wife Lisa retired to Charlottesville, Virginia where they volunteer with several community service organizations. Ever the lover of meaningful travel, in 2018, he and Lisa took a multi-week trip to the South to visit sites where civil rights history was made decades ago.That trip had a profound impact on both of them. Recognizing the importance of the trip combined with the significant planning challenges in making it, he spent the next three years writing this book to help others connect with this critical history. When he began writing his book, there was no recent book on civil rights travel available to assist travelers wishing to make this consequential journey.Jack has volunteered at the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville for a decade. That organization and the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama will share any profits generated by Traveling Freedom's Road: A Guide to Exploring Our Civil Rights History.