Tourists React to Reed Inauguration
Visitors were in downtown Montgomery Tuesday at the Rosa Parks Museum, learning more about the history of the bus boycott and the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. We spoke with some of them about their thoughts on the historic day for the city.
Two tourists were Barbara and Jeff Ernico from Hilton Head, South Carolina. They say they were on a civil rights tour provided by their church. They were traveling to different places that had an impact on the movement.
The Ernicos say they knew Reed had been elected as Montgomery’s first African American mayor, but had no idea they were in town at the same time as the swearing-in ceremony. The couple says it made their civil rights trip much more exciting.
“It was just a freak incident. This is just a cherry on top the top, if you will, for Montgomery. Having the first black mayor is fantastic. We came past the visitors and convention site,and they were posting signs that said “ONE”. And the man explained, he said we want the mayor to know that we are one behind, so that’s a really good sign too and we are really proud of that,” Barbara Ernico said.
There were other visitors to the Rosa Parks Museum we spoke with, including a woman from Prattville. She was there with her family, and she also didn’t realize today was Inauguration Day.
