During the Civil Rights Movement many demonstrations took place to protest segregation. The Tallahassee-Leon County Civil Rights Heritage Walk, which follows Jefferson Street, serves as a memorial for the activists that participated in these demonstrations. The sidewalk is made of terrazzano panels that feature bronze footsteps bearing the names of important individuals associated to the Civil Rights Movement in Tallahassee. The sidewalk is also illuminated at night for visitors.
The sidewalk is located in the same area where numerous boycotts and sit-ins were performed in Tallahassee throughout the 1950s and 60s. Tallahassee was the site of the second major bus boycott in the United States, just after Rosa Parks sparked the first in Montgomery, Alabama. The bus boycotts served as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement in Tallahassee, later giving way to lunch counter sit-ins. Click the link below under additional information to read short biographies of the people who marched and participated in the sit-ins.