The Alabama tourism department’s Civil Rights Trail App is launching multimedia updates to commemorate Black History Month.

The mobile application allows users to walk in the footsteps of the Civil Rights Movement by exploring the people, places and events that brought Alabama into the international spotlight and changed the course of history.

Users can do this by using the app to discover civil rights landmarks across the state, plan visits to pivotal cities like Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma and Tuskegee, explore interactive timelines, and browse biographies of famous figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.

“We took what was already an invaluable resource and made it even better,” said Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department.

“The importance of educating yourself on the Civil Rights Movement cannot be stressed enough, and this app is an excellent tool for doing so.”

This update also comes after President Obama has designated multiple sites in Alabama as national monuments including the site of the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church, which killed four girls and injured 22 other people, as well as the A.G. Gaston Motel, where segregation opponents organised in the 1960s.

Some of the updates to the app includes content, a design refresh, a new “media” section with audio and video files of key figures and updated bios and timelines.

The app is available for both iOS and Android.