The Alabama Journal: The story of the Alabama Journal and Montgomery — the Cradle of the Confederacy and birthplace of the civil rights movement — from Robert Shumake's Living Archive Series.
About this ebook
Founded in 1899, the Alabama Journal served as the afternoon daily of the Alabama capital, chronicling the life of Montgomery across a century of dramatic change. Inside, you'll explore the city's role as the "Cradle of the Confederacy," its place as the seat of Alabama government, and its rise as a center of commerce on the banks of the Alabama River.
Above all, this book honors Montgomery's profound place in the civil rights movement, handled with honesty and care — the Montgomery Bus Boycott sparked by Rosa Parks, the emergence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, and the Selma-to-Montgomery march that helped change the nation. Readers will encounter the people, institutions, and events that made Montgomery a turning point in the long struggle for justice and equality.
The volume also features the city's weather and climate history, its business and cultural institutions, and a rich obituary section invaluable for Montgomery, Alabama genealogy and family history research. Researched and restored using advanced artificial intelligence and drawing on resources such as the Library of Congress, this historic newspaper archive returns the heritage of Montgomery, Alabama to the public it serves. An essential addition to any collection of Alabama history, Southern history, and civil rights history.
About the author
Robert Shumake is an entrepreneur, media proprietor, philanthropist, and bestselling author based in Detroit, Michigan.
Robert Shumake is an entrepreneur, media proprietor, philanthropist, and bestselling author based in Detroit, Michigan. As founder and CEO of Shumake Media Group and founder of Inheritance Capital Group, Robert Shumake has built a career at the intersection of media, finance, education, and artificial intelligence.
Born and raised in Detroit, Robert Shumake overcame early hardship to become a formidable force in finance and investment. Through Inheritance Capital Group, a diversified investment and capital management firm, he built a portfolio spanning real estate, private equity, and emerging technology. His contrarian approach — identifying value in markets and communities that mainstream investors overlooked — became the foundation of his investment philosophy and his transition into media.
Shumake Media Group applies artificial intelligence to a network of historic American newspapers, transforming dormant archives of cultural and historical value into educational content distributed across a global media platform. The company reflects Robert Shumake's core insight: that legacy media, paired with the right technology, is an undervalued asset with extraordinary potential.
Beyond business, Robert Shumake is a dedicated philanthropist. Through the Shumake Family and Friends Foundation, he has supported thousands of student-athletes with scholarships, founded the Shumake Relays track and field competition, and created the Shumake HBCU Cross Country Program to invest in student-athletes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. His international humanitarian work includes funding water wells in Africa and establishing the Legacy Academy in Ethiopia, a school serving vulnerable children.
Robert Shumake is also recognized for his work in criminal justice reform, where he helped organize a national coalition of faith and civic leaders advocating for clemency and systemic change. As an advocate for mental health and healing under the name Shaman Shu, he supports research into psychedelic-assisted therapy and equitable access to emerging treatments. His diplomatic service includes appointments as Honorary Consul to Botswana and Tanzania.
He is the bestselling author of Climbing Your Inner Mountain, a framework for personal and professional transformation drawn from his own journey, along with a growing catalog of published eBooks. Used in leadership programs, educational institutions, and correctional facilities, the book reflects his message of resilience, accountability, and redemption.
From finance and media to philanthropy and reform, Robert Shumake continues to share strategies for growth, transformation, and purpose-driven impact with readers worldwide.
