Reinventing Our Community: Birmingham should sell itself as birthplace of human rights, Chuck Krulak says

Chuck Krulak has been around the world both in and out of uniform. He's certain about what makes Birmingham unique.

"This isn't just the home of civil rights. It's the home of human rights," said Krulak, Birmingham-Southern College's president and the former commandant of the United States Marine Corps.

"Birmingham remade America. The fight here redefined the nation and spread to so much of the world," he said. "We should embrace that heritage. There should be monuments on street corners all over the city and region like there are in Washington.

"We don't need to be like Atlanta or Charlotte. We need to be like Birmingham can be, with leadership and vision.

Yet Krulak said he has found that too many in Birmingham don't appreciate all that the city and region has to offer. And Krulak said he has been particularly struck by an unwillingness to confront and embrace the city's past, especially its racial history and the struggles of the 1960s to overcome generations of racism and inequality.

"I don't know what is stopping us from celebrating in a real and everyday way the battles and victories won in the name of human rights," Krulak said. "Maybe some are embarrassed by the past. Maybe some are still angry. I don't know.

"But I know what went on here is a real thing that should be recognized and sold to the world as the second or third American revolution.

"It is something to be proud of and come together over."

Join the conversation, add a comment or email cdean@bhamnnews.com

Source: http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-stories/2012/02/reinventing_our_community_birm_3.html

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