Last Day!!!!!
I know I am a little late, but I wanted to take the time.... :)
"You never know what will have such a great effect on your life, that you will change it."
This was what stuck out to me when Dr. Leslie McLemore spoke to us at Jackson State University.
I guess that this tour has a greater effect on each of our lives than we can possibly imagine right now. I know that I find myself thinking more about this issue each day and trying to figure out how I can take part in this movement which is still going on today. Even though I am not even an American citizen and having grown up in Germany, I think I can make a difference. When we were in Selma and experienced what Africans had to go through on the Middle Passage, I started thinking about the history of my own country. It makes me feel sad how history seems to repeat itself over and over again. This tour made me more aware of the race issue and how it is still going on today. When the different countries could be learning from each other, why aren't they? One of my goals for my experience here in the United States of America was to leave with more knowledge about this issue. I am fortunate to live with three African Americans and to get a close insight of their culture. And now after taking part in this amazing trip, I feel like I also got an insight of their backgrounds and history. It seems like I am taking more home than I can carry. Thanks to all the amazing people I got to meet and to the great small group discussions, I think that I will be able to process what I learned and to find out how this is going to effect my life.
I hope that many more can participate in the Civil Rights Tour and be able to relive those historic moments of America's past. Civil Rights are still an issue today not only in America but all over the world. Every single person, wherever he or she might live, can change this fact and contribute to a better world.
It is difficult to bring all my thoughts and feelings together. I still feel so overwhelmed. But I also know that my life already changed.
I want to say thank you to Baylor and all the great people who made this trip possible.
And to all my new friends: You are all amazing people, I feel so blessed to be able to get to know y'all!
Conny Michaelis
Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Montgomery/Jackson
SO, today is the last night of the trip and I must say that it truly was a life changing experience. When I first signed up to go I almost had a change of heart, I wondered if I should just do the same old, same old for spring break and go home, sleep in late, wake up in the evenings, yeah just completely become a lazy bum for a week. But I am VERY greatful that I made the decision to be involved in the Civil Rights Tour.
Yesterday, we visited Selma, Alabama, a city which played a vital role in the Civil Rights movement. Though a quiet little city, it was as if I could still hear the singing of African Americans longing for their freedom, just to be given the treatment they deserved. One of my favorite parts of yesterday was when we visited the museum in which we were able to role play directly, as if we were slaves who had been dragged into a new world in which the language, customs, and people were foreign and you were beaten and called everything but a child of God because of it. It enabled the group to be able to open up to the issue of race without having to walk on egg shells, which is a major problem in our world today, instead of just talking about our issues and letting each other know how we feel, we sometimes tend to be afraid that we're going to offend someone. I learned a lot from the people in the group, especially those of different races, when it came to the issue of race.
Today in Jackson, Mississippi our visit focused mainly on the issue of poverty, which is MAJOR in this state, esp in the Mississippi Delta. It's sad what these individuals have to face, and the decisions they have to make that ultimately take a GREAT toll on their futures. I can honestly say that I'm greatful for how God has blessed me and I feel that I'm called to bless and encourage others. I'm also interested in the initiatives that Jackson State University has taken and the programs they have created for their students, hopefully as we progress, Baylor will be able to do the same.
**Shout out to EVERYONE who was a part of the Civil Rights Tour 2010, yall are an AwEsOmE bunch and I'm glad I was able to spend the last week getting to know each one of you!**
Glad to be headed back to Texas in the morning, and for that reason I must call it a night, for my body is tired but my spirit will fight on for the cause...
Jessica Evans
Yesterday, we visited Selma, Alabama, a city which played a vital role in the Civil Rights movement. Though a quiet little city, it was as if I could still hear the singing of African Americans longing for their freedom, just to be given the treatment they deserved. One of my favorite parts of yesterday was when we visited the museum in which we were able to role play directly, as if we were slaves who had been dragged into a new world in which the language, customs, and people were foreign and you were beaten and called everything but a child of God because of it. It enabled the group to be able to open up to the issue of race without having to walk on egg shells, which is a major problem in our world today, instead of just talking about our issues and letting each other know how we feel, we sometimes tend to be afraid that we're going to offend someone. I learned a lot from the people in the group, especially those of different races, when it came to the issue of race.
Today in Jackson, Mississippi our visit focused mainly on the issue of poverty, which is MAJOR in this state, esp in the Mississippi Delta. It's sad what these individuals have to face, and the decisions they have to make that ultimately take a GREAT toll on their futures. I can honestly say that I'm greatful for how God has blessed me and I feel that I'm called to bless and encourage others. I'm also interested in the initiatives that Jackson State University has taken and the programs they have created for their students, hopefully as we progress, Baylor will be able to do the same.
**Shout out to EVERYONE who was a part of the Civil Rights Tour 2010, yall are an AwEsOmE bunch and I'm glad I was able to spend the last week getting to know each one of you!**
Glad to be headed back to Texas in the morning, and for that reason I must call it a night, for my body is tired but my spirit will fight on for the cause...
Jessica Evans
Last Day of the Civil Rights tour..... what can I say??
Well first and foremost, I would like to express what a substantially great experience this trip has been. I feel that I have connected with my ancestors on an intimate level. I feel as though I can empathize and be pull to tears when thinking about all of the strife that African Americans have truly gone through. Surprisingly, my feelings of sorrow reinforce my the pride and joy of my heritage! Another aspect of this trip has been seeing the world through a pair of Caucasian eyes. I am so happy to have gone this trip with white people because their emotional responses make me smile. Because at the end of the day, we all realize the tragedy that happened throughout American history concerning African Americans. Therefore, we can all move forward with a mentality that strengthens all colors. Of course, not everyone is going to be as progressive as others; but it is our job to help everyone emerge out of ignorance and into enlightenment.
Okay aside from those things... today introduced a lot of injustices that are happening in today's society. I really enjoyed looking to today's issue so that we may get into a mindset that is geared toward changing today for the sake of tomorrow.
We also played a supah awesome game!! SHOUT OUT TO KATIE PICKEN!! Called CONTACT! That was fun!
I really have been changed by this trip and will never forget what I have learned!! I am so ready to continue the dream and the movement!!!
Freakin loved the trip.. cannot stress that enough and really feel everyone should go through this experience so that they may be aware of how far we have come in terms of diversity and how much further we need to go!!
Thanks Marianne and Amanda and all the group leaders.... ESPECIALLY BRANDI... for heading up this trip and doing a great job at facilitation!!
Peace out!!
Joe Guillory
Well first and foremost, I would like to express what a substantially great experience this trip has been. I feel that I have connected with my ancestors on an intimate level. I feel as though I can empathize and be pull to tears when thinking about all of the strife that African Americans have truly gone through. Surprisingly, my feelings of sorrow reinforce my the pride and joy of my heritage! Another aspect of this trip has been seeing the world through a pair of Caucasian eyes. I am so happy to have gone this trip with white people because their emotional responses make me smile. Because at the end of the day, we all realize the tragedy that happened throughout American history concerning African Americans. Therefore, we can all move forward with a mentality that strengthens all colors. Of course, not everyone is going to be as progressive as others; but it is our job to help everyone emerge out of ignorance and into enlightenment.
Okay aside from those things... today introduced a lot of injustices that are happening in today's society. I really enjoyed looking to today's issue so that we may get into a mindset that is geared toward changing today for the sake of tomorrow.
We also played a supah awesome game!! SHOUT OUT TO KATIE PICKEN!! Called CONTACT! That was fun!
I really have been changed by this trip and will never forget what I have learned!! I am so ready to continue the dream and the movement!!!
Freakin loved the trip.. cannot stress that enough and really feel everyone should go through this experience so that they may be aware of how far we have come in terms of diversity and how much further we need to go!!
Thanks Marianne and Amanda and all the group leaders.... ESPECIALLY BRANDI... for heading up this trip and doing a great job at facilitation!!
Peace out!!
Joe Guillory
Selma - Kelley's Group
Wednesday started out with us being able to experience yet another piece of history by visiting the Greyhound bus station that the freedom riders were attacked at once they reached Birmingham. Being able to stand in the exact same spot where such turmoil and oppression is a feeling that I dont think any of us will ever forget. The freedom riders and everyone else of the time period sacrificed a lot just to gain right that are supposed "natural" rights of human beings. It really kills me that a lot of people take everything that they have today for granted by not taking advantage of their right to vote or to go on to earn a higher education.
The trip to Selma was by far the most moving of the trip though. I will start with the end of the 3-part trip to the museum which consisted of a tour of the city of Selma. We were able to visit the Brown Chapel which played a pivotal role during the Civil Rights movement by being a central meeting place and just a safe haven. Its location made this possible due to the fact that it is right in the middle of housing projects where many African Americans lived not only back then, but today as well.
We also visited the Emdund Pettus Bridge, which leads from Selma to Montgomery and is the bridge that many blacks were beaten on Bloody Sunday when they attempted to cross the bridge, where they were doing a non-violent protest in the form of a march. Being able to cross the bridge and retrace their footsteps made everyone feel like a they were reliving a piece of history.
The emotional high point of the entire trip though was the simulation in which we participated in, in which we were placed in the same predicament as our ancestors. They took us away from our familiar surroundings, separated, and then forced to make decisions on whether someone else lives or dies. It was truly an unimaginable experience that will provide a lasting experience for anyone who goes through it. The end of the simulation consisted of an elderly woman looking for her long lost child, which was taken away from her at birth. The saddest part of this situation though is the fact that the mother and daughter probably wouldnt even recognize each other, simply because they never had any contact with each other outside of birth. This was the harsh reality for many slave mothers during the time period. These same women would also be forced to have babies fathered by their slave masters. This is something that no matter how powerful the simulation is, that you can just never truly understand due to the fact that in the back of your mind you always know that it is a simulation. But for the slaved and segregated this was there reality for hundreds of years. All this treatment, due simply to the color of their skin.
Drake Alford
The trip to Selma was by far the most moving of the trip though. I will start with the end of the 3-part trip to the museum which consisted of a tour of the city of Selma. We were able to visit the Brown Chapel which played a pivotal role during the Civil Rights movement by being a central meeting place and just a safe haven. Its location made this possible due to the fact that it is right in the middle of housing projects where many African Americans lived not only back then, but today as well.
We also visited the Emdund Pettus Bridge, which leads from Selma to Montgomery and is the bridge that many blacks were beaten on Bloody Sunday when they attempted to cross the bridge, where they were doing a non-violent protest in the form of a march. Being able to cross the bridge and retrace their footsteps made everyone feel like a they were reliving a piece of history.
The emotional high point of the entire trip though was the simulation in which we participated in, in which we were placed in the same predicament as our ancestors. They took us away from our familiar surroundings, separated, and then forced to make decisions on whether someone else lives or dies. It was truly an unimaginable experience that will provide a lasting experience for anyone who goes through it. The end of the simulation consisted of an elderly woman looking for her long lost child, which was taken away from her at birth. The saddest part of this situation though is the fact that the mother and daughter probably wouldnt even recognize each other, simply because they never had any contact with each other outside of birth. This was the harsh reality for many slave mothers during the time period. These same women would also be forced to have babies fathered by their slave masters. This is something that no matter how powerful the simulation is, that you can just never truly understand due to the fact that in the back of your mind you always know that it is a simulation. But for the slaved and segregated this was there reality for hundreds of years. All this treatment, due simply to the color of their skin.
Drake Alford
Selma -- Syntyche's group -- kala
After a week of traveling from city to city and museum to museum, the mass amount of information began to blend and blur, and I seemed to be in a daze. Selma woke me up. The group visited the National Voting Rights Museum and Footprints to Freedom Tour. There, we learned about “Bloody Sunday” in depth and about the efforts and planning that went into the successful march led by Dr. King. I was inspired by the will power and spirit of those who had resolved to march to Selma despite the beating they had experienced only two weeks prior, on “Bloody Sunday.”
The second leg of the trip took us all back in time and space to the Africa, the middle passage, and slavery in the U.S. The Selma Slavery and Civil War Museum approached the topic differently from others because we were forced to simulate the experiences of our ancestors. Once off the bus we were made to line up against a wall and were “inspected” – immediately I realized what was going on – and while we were being humiliated outside the entrance, I couldn’t help but to think of how many captured individuals were humiliated, cursed, beaten, and suffering from utter confusion and sorrow on the coasts of Africa as they were dragged from the interior. After making it through the selection process, we were roughly told to enter into a holding room, which led to another room which served as the dungeon and final stop before we were to pass through the infamous door of no return . While in the dungeon, we were surrounded by screams and loud wailings, which frightened us all, and caused many of us girls to cling to one another. Again, I tried to imagine the harsh reality of what that dungeon may have been like – I failed. No, matter how hard I try, I may never be able to fathom the foul stench, terrified cries, and complete fear that my ancestors experienced in those dungeons. We were then forced to cram tightly onto a “ship.” Initially sitting, we were made to stand as more and more people boarded the tiny boat. Three of us in the back locked arms so as to comfort each other, and then we were all made to crawl through a hole (which I assumed to symbolize going up to the top deck) and then form a line from which about five were selected to choose ten to throw overboard so that the traders could make a deadline. It was then that I realized that my friend and I had been separated, and then I began to think about families divided and friendships torn apart, and how much more difficult the journey must have been alone – surrounded by many, yet all alone. The doors opened again, and we were put into a dark room, in which we witnessed a mother beg her master to let her keep her child, but to no avail; all sixteen of her children had been stripped from her, and she would never see any of them again. Then the lights came on,the simulation was over, and our integrated group had an opportunity to discuss the disconnect between our races for generations and how that was brought on by slavery.
In reflection, I thought that even though mistreated, I had never been hit or cursed at. I didn’t really see anyone die, and most importantly, I never believed at any one time that my life was ever in any real danger. Unfortunately, it was not the same for my ancestors. They did not participate in an hour long simulation and then return to their normal lives; they participated in history, real life unchanging events of the past, and they experienced the many things I merely glimpsed to a degree that I cannot fully imagine.
The museum definitely reopened wounds that had been passed down by generations of slave descendants, but hopefully now those wounds may be dressed and healed correctly, and although they may leave a scar so that I may always remember, they will no longer leave the hurt.
The second leg of the trip took us all back in time and space to the Africa, the middle passage, and slavery in the U.S. The Selma Slavery and Civil War Museum approached the topic differently from others because we were forced to simulate the experiences of our ancestors. Once off the bus we were made to line up against a wall and were “inspected” – immediately I realized what was going on – and while we were being humiliated outside the entrance, I couldn’t help but to think of how many captured individuals were humiliated, cursed, beaten, and suffering from utter confusion and sorrow on the coasts of Africa as they were dragged from the interior. After making it through the selection process, we were roughly told to enter into a holding room, which led to another room which served as the dungeon and final stop before we were to pass through the infamous door of no return . While in the dungeon, we were surrounded by screams and loud wailings, which frightened us all, and caused many of us girls to cling to one another. Again, I tried to imagine the harsh reality of what that dungeon may have been like – I failed. No, matter how hard I try, I may never be able to fathom the foul stench, terrified cries, and complete fear that my ancestors experienced in those dungeons. We were then forced to cram tightly onto a “ship.” Initially sitting, we were made to stand as more and more people boarded the tiny boat. Three of us in the back locked arms so as to comfort each other, and then we were all made to crawl through a hole (which I assumed to symbolize going up to the top deck) and then form a line from which about five were selected to choose ten to throw overboard so that the traders could make a deadline. It was then that I realized that my friend and I had been separated, and then I began to think about families divided and friendships torn apart, and how much more difficult the journey must have been alone – surrounded by many, yet all alone. The doors opened again, and we were put into a dark room, in which we witnessed a mother beg her master to let her keep her child, but to no avail; all sixteen of her children had been stripped from her, and she would never see any of them again. Then the lights came on,the simulation was over, and our integrated group had an opportunity to discuss the disconnect between our races for generations and how that was brought on by slavery.
In reflection, I thought that even though mistreated, I had never been hit or cursed at. I didn’t really see anyone die, and most importantly, I never believed at any one time that my life was ever in any real danger. Unfortunately, it was not the same for my ancestors. They did not participate in an hour long simulation and then return to their normal lives; they participated in history, real life unchanging events of the past, and they experienced the many things I merely glimpsed to a degree that I cannot fully imagine.
The museum definitely reopened wounds that had been passed down by generations of slave descendants, but hopefully now those wounds may be dressed and healed correctly, and although they may leave a scar so that I may always remember, they will no longer leave the hurt.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Day 7-Montgomery/Selma(William's Group)
Often it is easy to look at the past as just that: the past, a distant memory, a story passed down to generations who could care less. We, whether purposefully or subconsciously, block out any information that does not directly affect our environment, our reality. This is because history is not real to us as a generation, as humans. We browse through museums, looking at pictures, reading captions, old newspaper clippings, thinking to ourselves, "What a powerful story." A story. Can we really connect to a story? For us, blacks, whites, Native Americans, Asians, to really connect to our history, we must come to the realization that, at one point, this story was once someone's reality. Today, on the Footprints to Freedom Tour at the National Voting Rights Museum, I believe that we came closer to that realization. I am hesitant to say that we experienced life on a slave ship because frankly we did not. We caught a glimpse into a fraction of the suffering of those subject to the cruelties of the Middle Passage. We received a mild sampling of the verbal abuse that the slave drivers delivered to their bewildered captives. This was an experience not a display, one that could not merely be bypassed because we wanted to get to the gift shop. The wailing of a mother having her child torn from her arms echoed in the last room of our "voyage," moving many of us to tears. This was a staunch reminder that slavery was not just a crime against Africans committed by whites. It was a crime against humanity. This view was expressed in our discussion following our visit. We talked about how the experience impacted each of us and what we can do to forgive, but not forget. For if we forget, we are doomed to repeat our mistakes, doomed to classify another group of people as inferior to ourselves because of arbitrary, uncontrollable factors. To forgive, it is important to embrace history not as a story, but as the reality of those who truly experienced those trying times. They lived through slavery, through reconstruction, through the lynchings, the cross burnings, the Klan killings, the bus boycotts, the Civil Rights movement. And they can live today, so long as we do not forget.
Montgomery-Selma Civil Rights Tour 2010
Whoa! Today was an awesome and amazing day; just a roller coaster of emotions. The day started in Montgomery, Alabama where we visited the Greyhound Station where the Freedom Riders rode to, to show there strong stand against the racist time period they were in. When the riders arrived at the bus station they were met with strong opposition and were brutally beaten, one of the survivors of this attack was John Lewis. After we left there we headed to the home of Dr. King, while he was pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. There were some items in the house that were actually in the house when Dr. King was living there with his family. One specific and heart-touching moment to me was when our group stood in the kitchen of the King home and watched as our tour guide acted out the events of the famous night when Dr. King has his great "Epiphany". To me it really showed Dr. King at maybe his most vulnerable point. We don't like to see our leaders weak, it makes us give up hope sometimes if we see them so shaken up. But Dr. King never gave made it seem like he was giving up, to me it just seemed like a "regrouping" of his thoughts. After that night, Dr. King was fearless in the face of danger. After the house we were off to the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where King preached from 1954-1960. The church was very large and the inside was beautiful. The pews in the church were the original pews from when Dr. King was there. Oh yea, probably one of the funniest things today was when I learned that Rev. Vernon Johns (the preacher at Dexter Avenue before King) was the man who gave the infamous funeral speech. He said, "He lived like a dog, he died like a dog. Undertaker take charge of the body"! Whoa imagine has stunned that audience was. After we left the church we were off the Selma! While in Selma we visited the National Voting Rights Museum and we saw the many images and heard the stories surrounding the Bloody Sunday incident that took place on March 7. The story that our tour guide told us was so heart-wrenching and it almost seems hard to believe that people were beaten that horribly. No one died on Bloody Sunday, but 16 were injured. One of the main motivators for this march was the shooting that lead to the death of Jimmie Jackson by a state trooper. The marchers on Bloody Sunday were planning to to peacefully march to Montgomery, but were met by a strong state trooper line on the other side of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The marchers were sprayed with tear gas and beaten, some nearly to death. But what has to be my most favorite part of today and possibly this whole trip was the simulation that our group went through to help us better understand the struggles that the slaves endured as they were being transported to the New World. I can honestly say that, that experience opened my eyes to a totally different way of thinking and viewing Black History. The feeling I felt today was a feeling that you cannot get by reading a book or listening to a Black History tape. It was a scary, depressing, emotional, degrading, heart-pounding feeling all rolled up in one. I truly believe that everyone; people of all races, nationalities, and colores should go through this simulation at some point in their lives. That was the first time in my life I had every been called a n*****, and although that derogatory term had never been used to harm me, the pain still struck my heart. I felt helpless, insulted, and inferior. The idea that the slaves were packed so tightly in basements and on the cargo ships was just a horrible thought. I mean people were using the restroom beside each other and some people had to ride to the New World with dead friends, family members, or just a fellow African laying right beside them. Horrifying screams were heard all throughout the ship as women and some children were being raped or some people being thrown overboard. This event is one that I will never forget and that feeling will stay with me as a constant reminder of how difficult their struggle was, and I should never take advantage of the liberties and freedoms that I have today because of the many people that have been placed before me; from 1619 to the present.
Montgomery - Selma (Nick, Hanna, Courtney, Syntyche, Kayla)
Today we had fun. Our biggest fear is that today was not adequate but that it was powerful beyond measure. It was thought provoking and inspiring. We left the church this morning at 8AM and headed to the Greyhound bus station where the Freedom Riders were attacked. Then we visited the house where Martin Luther King lived.
The most intense part of today was the visit to the Slavery and Civil War Museum were we re-enacted the journey of slaves from Africa to the plantation. The leader of this experience had so much energy and the way she used language and voice just immersed us in a partial, cloudy simulated reality of the pain and suffering slaves went through when they were captured, shipped and sold.
After this humbling, lugubrious, and shocking re-enactment we all marched across the bridge leading into Selma and then we went under it into a kind of park area where we all reflected upon what we experienced. From listening to the group and watching them react, I would say that this is one our most intense heart to hearts. Hearing J.T. Snipes expressing how he felt when he was told to choose someone to throw overboard and just couldn't do it. We talked for about an hour i guess, but we could've stayed there all night, but it was getting dark and cold. We where under a bridge in Selma, Alabama; and one person yelled above us, but I digress. We got back on the bus and made the 4 hour drive to Jackson, Mississippi. Most everybody continued the discussion in their own little circle around where they were sitting.
Anyways, now it's 3:54 AM, and we have to wake up at 8! Kayla is also blogging for our small group, she's laying behind me typing right now. Nick is also blogging for his group. Carrington is asleep, Connie just loaded her pictures onto my computer and now I'm tired and want to sleep. Goodnight.
JT's group, Montgomery to Selma - Justin
Our group has become very familiar with one another, no longer afraid to ask hard questions and to respond with hard answers in the hope of trying to understand the division caused by prejudice and misunderstanding in racial relations. So when I woke up this morning I felt -- and sensed in others -- a sort of routine feeling, as if the significance of what we were about to see had been dulled by the amount of incredible things we had seen in the past few days, as if we knew what to expect. But I think most of us found our expectations dashed to pieces by the end of the day.
We began by visiting the parsonage of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, which was used by Dr. King and his family from 1954 to 1960, while he pastored the church. Much of the information was repeated, but to experience first hand the sound of Dr. King's voice in the kitchen where he had his epiphany was overwhelming. We discussed later the significance of how Dr. King was able to have the most conviction in his mission, even at a time when his faith and purpose were most challenged and he was feeling so hopeless. It was three days later that the bomb exploded on his front porch, leaving a crater which we saw when we first entered the parsonage. To be in his home made personal the story of Dr. King, because this was where Dr. King spent hours reading, writing speeches and holding meetings; but also where he played with his children, read the newspaper, and sat down to dinner with the family and lived life. From there we briefly visited the church that he pastored as well, still thriving in downtown Montgomery.
In Selma we went to the Voting Rights museum and heard in detail the story of the protest and march for black voters in Selma and other neighboring counties. To imagine 25000 people rounding off the march from Selma to Montgomery showed the strong sense of justice these people felt and the community that they shared.
From there we rode on the bus, we weren't sure where to, but we stopped somewhere in Selma. As we got off the bus we were told to line up and keep quiet, we were a little confused, but complied. We were then told to face the wall, with our hands on the wall, legs spread, as we were searched. In somewhat of a daze, we were herded into a small room as we were harassed, told to lower our heads and being called by that name which has been used for centuries to degrade and humiliate people because of the color of their skin. We stumbled from there into blackness, all of us scared and silent. Screams rang inside that small space as the women were forced from their children and crammed into dark, damp holds for the Middle passage to America. Later, we crawled out of the hold and were forced to choose which of us slaves should be slaughtered for the profit of the traders. I felt like dirt, humiliated and utterly powerless.
Finally, we crowded into a dark space, bunched up against each other, and listened to the sounds of a mother having her last child wrenched of her arms. Her sobs haunted all of us, her screams told of her total despair, the pain of indescribable loss.
The simulation ended, and we found that we were in the Selma Slavery and Civil War Museum. Totally silent, our wide eyes betrayed the terror we had experienced as a slave for only a half hour.
Words are just a means for describing our thoughts, so it was jarring that a single word could spit so much venom and thrust us all so low that we were at the whim of those using it. That one word could make us property, that it could take away what made us human and make us expendable objects for the exploitation of those who "owned" us. Yet today it is casually used as a term of endearment and camaraderie, as if 400 years of effectual rape could be forgotten, as if times change so suddenly that we can ignore 400 years of death, torture, and inhumanity--all summed up in a single word.
The gravity with which all of us approached race relations in discussion tonight showed how powerful the slavery experience was for all of us. The reality of our history, not just black history or white history, is stark and demands our attention and respect so that our empathy with the slavery of 2010 would stir us to demand justice for our fellow human beings.
We began by visiting the parsonage of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, which was used by Dr. King and his family from 1954 to 1960, while he pastored the church. Much of the information was repeated, but to experience first hand the sound of Dr. King's voice in the kitchen where he had his epiphany was overwhelming. We discussed later the significance of how Dr. King was able to have the most conviction in his mission, even at a time when his faith and purpose were most challenged and he was feeling so hopeless. It was three days later that the bomb exploded on his front porch, leaving a crater which we saw when we first entered the parsonage. To be in his home made personal the story of Dr. King, because this was where Dr. King spent hours reading, writing speeches and holding meetings; but also where he played with his children, read the newspaper, and sat down to dinner with the family and lived life. From there we briefly visited the church that he pastored as well, still thriving in downtown Montgomery.
In Selma we went to the Voting Rights museum and heard in detail the story of the protest and march for black voters in Selma and other neighboring counties. To imagine 25000 people rounding off the march from Selma to Montgomery showed the strong sense of justice these people felt and the community that they shared.
From there we rode on the bus, we weren't sure where to, but we stopped somewhere in Selma. As we got off the bus we were told to line up and keep quiet, we were a little confused, but complied. We were then told to face the wall, with our hands on the wall, legs spread, as we were searched. In somewhat of a daze, we were herded into a small room as we were harassed, told to lower our heads and being called by that name which has been used for centuries to degrade and humiliate people because of the color of their skin. We stumbled from there into blackness, all of us scared and silent. Screams rang inside that small space as the women were forced from their children and crammed into dark, damp holds for the Middle passage to America. Later, we crawled out of the hold and were forced to choose which of us slaves should be slaughtered for the profit of the traders. I felt like dirt, humiliated and utterly powerless.
Finally, we crowded into a dark space, bunched up against each other, and listened to the sounds of a mother having her last child wrenched of her arms. Her sobs haunted all of us, her screams told of her total despair, the pain of indescribable loss.
The simulation ended, and we found that we were in the Selma Slavery and Civil War Museum. Totally silent, our wide eyes betrayed the terror we had experienced as a slave for only a half hour.
Words are just a means for describing our thoughts, so it was jarring that a single word could spit so much venom and thrust us all so low that we were at the whim of those using it. That one word could make us property, that it could take away what made us human and make us expendable objects for the exploitation of those who "owned" us. Yet today it is casually used as a term of endearment and camaraderie, as if 400 years of effectual rape could be forgotten, as if times change so suddenly that we can ignore 400 years of death, torture, and inhumanity--all summed up in a single word.
The gravity with which all of us approached race relations in discussion tonight showed how powerful the slavery experience was for all of us. The reality of our history, not just black history or white history, is stark and demands our attention and respect so that our empathy with the slavery of 2010 would stir us to demand justice for our fellow human beings.
Montgomery Part 2/Selma--- Brandi's Group
Well, the day has been quite a powerful one. In fact, this was my favorite day of the entire trip. The day started in Montgomery at Martin Luther King, Jr.'s house while he was pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. I LOVED seeing where MLK lived with his family, planned the Bus Boycott, survived a bombing attempt on his family, and had an epiphany that God needed Martin to succeed in the Civil Rights movement and his family would be protected by the Lord. The table where the Bus Boycott was planned was in that house, and it just blew my mind that I could touch the chairs and tables where these great minds planned the very event that changed the course of America.
Our next step on the journey was the bus station that the Freedom riders stopped at when they were brutally attacked and mobbed. It was surreal to be at this pivotal place in the Civil Rights Movement. I was impressed or shocked to see that on that wall of information there was a quote from someone that said they were shocked that white people would be involved in the Freedom Rides. To me this illustrates that there were people across race lines that were willing to recognize what was right and not just "go with the flow" of society. I am glad that there were, in fact, some people that could show the black people that they were not alone in their struggle for human rights.
Selma. Wow. What can I say about Selma? It was absolutely incredible! Let me first say that the reason I wanted to come on this trip was not necessarily for myself, but for my future students. I am studying to be a High School History teacher, so every experience I have on this trip I think about how I could use this to better impress upon my students the importance of the Civil Rights Movement and the struggle that the black people faced in America for hundreds of years. All that to say, my experience in the Southern Civil War museum was heavily fueled by how much my students could benefit from this. I think that students can sometimes form a disconnect between what happened so many years ago and what is happening now and how it effects them. If the students could actually feel how it was for the slaves I believe they could better comprehend what an atrocity it was. When we began this reenactment experience I thought that we were experiencing what it might be like to be arrested in the 60s and be black. I think that is a very significant mistake to make. The fact that I couldn't tell what was happening impresses upon me how awful it really was in the 60s and how things really hadn't changed for them much at all from slavery to "freedom". I really enjoyed everyone's candor after the experience during our large group meeting. I loved hearing what everyone from every color was feeling after all that we felt and saw.
All in All, this day was INCREDIBLE. Everyone, from high school up, should experience what we experienced at the Civil War museum. This trip is really opening my eyes to what the 60s really were like. I wonder why we don't hear much about racism before the 60s and why the awful things happened to them for so long before some decided they had had enough. Just things to ponder....
Our next step on the journey was the bus station that the Freedom riders stopped at when they were brutally attacked and mobbed. It was surreal to be at this pivotal place in the Civil Rights Movement. I was impressed or shocked to see that on that wall of information there was a quote from someone that said they were shocked that white people would be involved in the Freedom Rides. To me this illustrates that there were people across race lines that were willing to recognize what was right and not just "go with the flow" of society. I am glad that there were, in fact, some people that could show the black people that they were not alone in their struggle for human rights.
Selma. Wow. What can I say about Selma? It was absolutely incredible! Let me first say that the reason I wanted to come on this trip was not necessarily for myself, but for my future students. I am studying to be a High School History teacher, so every experience I have on this trip I think about how I could use this to better impress upon my students the importance of the Civil Rights Movement and the struggle that the black people faced in America for hundreds of years. All that to say, my experience in the Southern Civil War museum was heavily fueled by how much my students could benefit from this. I think that students can sometimes form a disconnect between what happened so many years ago and what is happening now and how it effects them. If the students could actually feel how it was for the slaves I believe they could better comprehend what an atrocity it was. When we began this reenactment experience I thought that we were experiencing what it might be like to be arrested in the 60s and be black. I think that is a very significant mistake to make. The fact that I couldn't tell what was happening impresses upon me how awful it really was in the 60s and how things really hadn't changed for them much at all from slavery to "freedom". I really enjoyed everyone's candor after the experience during our large group meeting. I loved hearing what everyone from every color was feeling after all that we felt and saw.
All in All, this day was INCREDIBLE. Everyone, from high school up, should experience what we experienced at the Civil War museum. This trip is really opening my eyes to what the 60s really were like. I wonder why we don't hear much about racism before the 60s and why the awful things happened to them for so long before some decided they had had enough. Just things to ponder....
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Mel's blog round 2! // JT's group //
I'm blogging on my iPhone so don't judge on grammer/spelling/etc. Bhaha :)
Today moved me. Stories became reality, pictures became people, inner emotions became tears. This entire week we have been learning, listening, seeing, and grappling with the events surrounding the civil rights movement. The recency of the sacrificing determination of the people involved in the movement became real to me in an unexpected way.
We were lucky enough to see a womens poetry group this evening at the Rosa Parks Museum. These women were the epitome of strength and beauty. Even though they were just little girls during the movement their memories were vivid and heart wrenching.
One lady expressed her memory of the 16th bapist church bombing. We had just toured the chuch a couple days prior and hearing her story in poetry wrestled with my heart in a way I can't explain. She ended her poetry peice with a song. We all stood up and sang in the name of freedom... Clappng our hands in the name of freedom... Standing beside eachother connected with inspiration in the name of freedom... And at that moment, just for a minute I felt I got a tiny glimpse into what it may have felt like to rally together, next to strangers, in the name of freedom.
These women ignigted something inside me. I felt such an admiration for women...black women...whose role as the backbone of their family became pivotal in a movement that changed a system that discredited the priciples our country is built on.
Love to all.
-mel
Today moved me. Stories became reality, pictures became people, inner emotions became tears. This entire week we have been learning, listening, seeing, and grappling with the events surrounding the civil rights movement. The recency of the sacrificing determination of the people involved in the movement became real to me in an unexpected way.
We were lucky enough to see a womens poetry group this evening at the Rosa Parks Museum. These women were the epitome of strength and beauty. Even though they were just little girls during the movement their memories were vivid and heart wrenching.
One lady expressed her memory of the 16th bapist church bombing. We had just toured the chuch a couple days prior and hearing her story in poetry wrestled with my heart in a way I can't explain. She ended her poetry peice with a song. We all stood up and sang in the name of freedom... Clappng our hands in the name of freedom... Standing beside eachother connected with inspiration in the name of freedom... And at that moment, just for a minute I felt I got a tiny glimpse into what it may have felt like to rally together, next to strangers, in the name of freedom.
These women ignigted something inside me. I felt such an admiration for women...black women...whose role as the backbone of their family became pivotal in a movement that changed a system that discredited the priciples our country is built on.
Love to all.
-mel
Montgomery, Alabama
Today, we visited the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Rosa Parks Museum. The SPLC works to fight hate crimes and while there we watched a moving video, had a question and answer section, and took pictures by the memorial fountain in front. One story that stuck out to me was that of Emmit Till. He was lynched, and his mother wanted the casket open at his funeral to display the heinous act that had taken place. The SPLC acknowledged the turbulence of the civil rights movement. It can be easy to forget how many people sacrificed their lives for the cause and to focus only on key individuals. The SPLC showed that each person`s actions and life added up to get us to where we are today. At the end of the museum you could pledge to stand up for human and civil rights wherever you are and have your name entered into a rolling display on a giant screen. It was exciting to see your name come up among so many others committed to the betterment of human rights. We also attended a poetry/music session at the Rosa Parks Museum in the evening. This was a "Woman`s Gathering" in honor of Women`s History Month. The poets were amazing! One`s stage name was Revolution, and after hearing her speak I was ready for one. The event inspired me to begin change first within myself, and helped me to realize that each of us has a part to play.
(Synteche`s group, HB)
(Synteche`s group, HB)
Montgomery - Kelley's Group
Today we toured the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Rosa Parks Museum. It was very thought provoking to watch the video about the Civil Rights Movement and to then have the guide from SPLC talk to us about new legislation concerning unsolved Civil Rights Movement cases and the efforts that are being taken to bring justice to those that were murdered during this time period. She brought to our attention recent hate crimes and civil rights injustices that are still plaguing the United States. It was also stunning to see a small child adorned in full KKK dress and to see plaques in memory of people that were brutally murdered as late as 2001 and as close as Ft. Worth, Tx. In contrast, it was beautiful to see how well our group as integrated which was represented in the photos that we took near the memorial.
The Rosa Parks Museum went further in depth about the events and people involved in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It was a glimpse into the lives of the African Americans' experience in Montgomery and how they nonviolently combatted their fears and oppressors. They fought back against unjust legislation, police brutality, and violence to laungh the Civil Rights Movement into full momentum. It was crazy to actually see police reports and complaints filed by citizens who had been hospitalized as a direct result of violence. To watch Rosa Parks being honored at Clinton's State of the Union address again was the perfect representation that small acts made by committed people can have huge impacts.
It was also a treat to watch the women perform their poetry in celebration of women's history. It was moving to hear their perspectives and see the emotion that is derived when they recall their past. It was dramatic to hear their fears and hopes surface with such grace and strength.
The Rosa Parks Museum went further in depth about the events and people involved in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It was a glimpse into the lives of the African Americans' experience in Montgomery and how they nonviolently combatted their fears and oppressors. They fought back against unjust legislation, police brutality, and violence to laungh the Civil Rights Movement into full momentum. It was crazy to actually see police reports and complaints filed by citizens who had been hospitalized as a direct result of violence. To watch Rosa Parks being honored at Clinton's State of the Union address again was the perfect representation that small acts made by committed people can have huge impacts.
It was also a treat to watch the women perform their poetry in celebration of women's history. It was moving to hear their perspectives and see the emotion that is derived when they recall their past. It was dramatic to hear their fears and hopes surface with such grace and strength.
Good ol' Montgomery
I really enjoyed the Southern Poverty Law Center. After being on the tour for six days it seems like most of the events are beginning to run into each other but, today I saw something that was new, unique, and different. For one, the SPLC showed the lives of over 200 unsolved mysteries of individuals that were killed during the civil rights movement which I thought was very interesting because no one really hears about these unsolved cases except for the "Emmitt Tills" or "Jimmie Lee Jacksons". Another thing I liked was that the SPLC showed how the world is today in regards to racism, whether it be sex, gender,religion, or color. It shows that we still have a long way to go.
Also today in my small group J.T. brought up the question of where we think God is leading us to go. I have always been struggling with this question because honestly, there are some instances when I really feel like I don't want to be "called" on because I don't want to fail. There are other cases when I am up for whatever He has for me. I believe my calling is to listen. That seems kind of simple but it is one of the hardest things to do because as an American we feel like what we say is always important but, for some reason I am able to listen to people with ridiculous patience (expect for siblings or course). I just don't want to be the one that gives them bad news or worsens their situation. To sum up, I know that through my ongoing education and spiritual beliefs, I know that whatever I set my mind to can be accomplished.
Also today in my small group J.T. brought up the question of where we think God is leading us to go. I have always been struggling with this question because honestly, there are some instances when I really feel like I don't want to be "called" on because I don't want to fail. There are other cases when I am up for whatever He has for me. I believe my calling is to listen. That seems kind of simple but it is one of the hardest things to do because as an American we feel like what we say is always important but, for some reason I am able to listen to people with ridiculous patience (expect for siblings or course). I just don't want to be the one that gives them bad news or worsens their situation. To sum up, I know that through my ongoing education and spiritual beliefs, I know that whatever I set my mind to can be accomplished.
A Day in Montgomery
Today was a great day... for many reasons. After a day full of torrents of rain, we were blessed with a cool yet sunny day.
We visited the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Rosa Parks Museum. Once again, we faced the harsh realities of a not so distant past. We saw the monuments and displays in memory of those slain because of hatred. We saw the images of those who stood up for what was right no matter the cost. The recognition of those who dedicated their lives to the eradication of injustices were an essential part of the day. Looking at those names etched in the black stone, at the Law Center, amid my own reflection caused me to see that I also can dedicate my life to protecting and promoting justice for all. We should all be opposed to the intolerance associated with race, class, gender, and religious identity or the absence there of. We should be driven to fight for what is right. Although, this seems readily accomplishable in word it can be a challenge in action.
In our small group tonight, we discussed ways in which the Civil Rights Movement can influence the movements of today. We all believed that education and open dialogue were essential in bringing about healing to a broken world. We were blessed to hear the spoken art of some local women of Montgomery; they gave voice to the injustices of the world past and present. Even so, I want to suggest that perhaps one important step in bringing about change in today's society is to know what is right and decide to act upon these ideas. We should face these injustices even in fear. If I am not clear this quote from the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks, sums up my thoughts:
"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."
-Rosa Parks
I look forward to the rest of this journey for justice,
K. Jones
We visited the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Rosa Parks Museum. Once again, we faced the harsh realities of a not so distant past. We saw the monuments and displays in memory of those slain because of hatred. We saw the images of those who stood up for what was right no matter the cost. The recognition of those who dedicated their lives to the eradication of injustices were an essential part of the day. Looking at those names etched in the black stone, at the Law Center, amid my own reflection caused me to see that I also can dedicate my life to protecting and promoting justice for all. We should all be opposed to the intolerance associated with race, class, gender, and religious identity or the absence there of. We should be driven to fight for what is right. Although, this seems readily accomplishable in word it can be a challenge in action.
In our small group tonight, we discussed ways in which the Civil Rights Movement can influence the movements of today. We all believed that education and open dialogue were essential in bringing about healing to a broken world. We were blessed to hear the spoken art of some local women of Montgomery; they gave voice to the injustices of the world past and present. Even so, I want to suggest that perhaps one important step in bringing about change in today's society is to know what is right and decide to act upon these ideas. We should face these injustices even in fear. If I am not clear this quote from the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks, sums up my thoughts:
"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."
-Rosa Parks
I look forward to the rest of this journey for justice,
K. Jones
Montgomery Alabama (William's Group)
Today, we vistited the Rosa Parks Memeorial Museum and the Southern Poverty Law Center. We covered quite a bit less than we have in some of the other places we have been. We have learned that at the core of a lot of racial isses bothe past and present, is the issue of a lack of education. When people do not have aduquate information, they will not make what we consider to be informed decisions. In addition, it seems that many people today do not seek to learn. Many rely on the authority of those whom they respect or of who serve as the intelligent individuals in their lives. In the wake of the Croncite era, people hear all sorts of logically flawed arguments and misrepresented concepts, along with the assurance that "... thats the way it is."
So where do we go from here? What do we do? Well, we seem to have identified parents as being instrumental in facilitating change. The young will use what they learn; but they must be taught. But here is an interesting question... In the midst of a society in which non-ruling citizens have considerably more power than most nations both past and present, could it be that we are in fact getting what we want? Is this reality the one we as a whole have chosen? We have endless resources, which we don't use. Many people in the public eye cannot be trusted, yet we listen to them. In a nation of so much, we fail to utilize it all. When do we step up? Can we step up? If so, how will you take up the challenge?
So where do we go from here? What do we do? Well, we seem to have identified parents as being instrumental in facilitating change. The young will use what they learn; but they must be taught. But here is an interesting question... In the midst of a society in which non-ruling citizens have considerably more power than most nations both past and present, could it be that we are in fact getting what we want? Is this reality the one we as a whole have chosen? We have endless resources, which we don't use. Many people in the public eye cannot be trusted, yet we listen to them. In a nation of so much, we fail to utilize it all. When do we step up? Can we step up? If so, how will you take up the challenge?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Hotlanta! And By Hot I mean Cold and Rainy...
We started off the day with a little rain and a visit to the King Center. The King Center was the idea of Coretta Scott King and has multiple buildings and outdoor sites on its campus. We started out with a movie about the Civil Rights Movement which gave general background to the era. However, one quote from the movie stuck out in my mind. Martin Luther King, Jr. was discussing the spreading of the civil rights demonstrations to the Northern cities and he said that he had never seen as much hatred and hostility as he did in the crowds in Chicago. Being from the Chicago area, it is interesting for me to hear that MLK thought that the interactions between Caucasians and African-Americans were so extreme. After looking around the gallery in the building, many went outside to see the tombstone of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The tombstone was in the middle of a deep blue reflecting pool. Right across from the tombstone was the eternal flame that shone brightly even in the midst of the pouring rain. The rain definitely could not take away from the beauty of these two things.
A Little Bit of Birmy...a Little Bit of Hotlanta
So I experienced two different civil rights stories over the past 48 hours but surprisingly they kinda taught me the same thing...
Ok so to begin, yesterday we were in Birmingham and after having an awesome lunch at Zoes Kitchen (all you Greek food lovers check it out) I headed back to the 16th Street church where we were going to begin our next tour. As my group and I were crossing through Kelly Ingram Park a black man came over and started talking to us about his experience with the civil rights movement. This man lived two blocks down from 16th street Baptist Church and remembers the exact day that the klan bomb went off. He said that he also remembers the dogs and water hoses used on protesters in the park and even sang a part of one of the freedom songs he sang. He also laid out all the local businesses that used to be around the area and talked about how despite the tremulous times, what a neat experience it had been to grow up in the "Magic City". Overall it was just so touching to hear a real life account of the movement and despite his plea at the end of our conversation for some money to get him into the mission shelter down the street, which I wasn't expecting, I felt so blessed to help him out.
oh wait...an hour and a half later...he confronted our small groups and without recognizing that we were the same people he had talked to before...TOLD US THE SAME STORY AGAIN AND THEN DENIED THAT WE HAD EVER GIVEN HIM MONEY AND MADE US FEEL "GUILTY" FOR NOT WANTING TO GIVE TO A HOMELESS MAN"
---this officially made me regret my generosity earlier in the day when realizing that he obviously used this little sympathy story all the time...but then again...I did enable him to buy a massive bag of bbq pork rinds which he clearly enjoyed
Now the second story is a little more legit: when going through the first part of the King Center today I came across an interesting story about Dr. King. It was a small little enclave in the museum and was actually pretty easy to pass by, but what it showed me was so touching. One night Dr. King received a phone call threatening him that he and his family would soon regret moving to Birmingham, now I'm sure Dr. King was used to phone calls like this and other forms of threats; however, this night he became very frightened. He talked about how all these doubts and fears just overwhelmed him and for a couple minutes he almost lost sight of his purpose in the movement. It reminded me a lot of Jesus' confession to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane in which He asked God to take the cup from His hand if it be His will. Thus even Jesus and MLK got scared! But in both cases, the love for others and God given resilience proved true. Dr. King said that he immediately renounced the fear that he was feeling and began to pray earnestly that God would empower him to continue the task before him, because when we are at our weakest moments, that is when God is the strongest.
The connection I find between my homeless friend and MLK is the reality that all of the members of the civil rights movements were real people! Now, I know this seems like a ridiculous epiphany, but its their vulnerability that is so impacting. The men and women that protested were probably scared at times, they probably had doubts, they probably wanted to give up, and they maybe even hated what they had gotten themselves into...but what really makes them HEROES is not that they were supernatural but that they pushed through these thoughts and never gave up.
I am so inspired by the people I have read about this past week and truly hope that one day my life will amount to even a smidgen of the greatness they accomplishment---even if that just means living an ordinary life and pursuing the extraordinary when it flickers by.
---the inept blogger: Courtney :) (Syntyche's Group)
Ok so to begin, yesterday we were in Birmingham and after having an awesome lunch at Zoes Kitchen (all you Greek food lovers check it out) I headed back to the 16th Street church where we were going to begin our next tour. As my group and I were crossing through Kelly Ingram Park a black man came over and started talking to us about his experience with the civil rights movement. This man lived two blocks down from 16th street Baptist Church and remembers the exact day that the klan bomb went off. He said that he also remembers the dogs and water hoses used on protesters in the park and even sang a part of one of the freedom songs he sang. He also laid out all the local businesses that used to be around the area and talked about how despite the tremulous times, what a neat experience it had been to grow up in the "Magic City". Overall it was just so touching to hear a real life account of the movement and despite his plea at the end of our conversation for some money to get him into the mission shelter down the street, which I wasn't expecting, I felt so blessed to help him out.
oh wait...an hour and a half later...he confronted our small groups and without recognizing that we were the same people he had talked to before...TOLD US THE SAME STORY AGAIN AND THEN DENIED THAT WE HAD EVER GIVEN HIM MONEY AND MADE US FEEL "GUILTY" FOR NOT WANTING TO GIVE TO A HOMELESS MAN"
---this officially made me regret my generosity earlier in the day when realizing that he obviously used this little sympathy story all the time...but then again...I did enable him to buy a massive bag of bbq pork rinds which he clearly enjoyed
Now the second story is a little more legit: when going through the first part of the King Center today I came across an interesting story about Dr. King. It was a small little enclave in the museum and was actually pretty easy to pass by, but what it showed me was so touching. One night Dr. King received a phone call threatening him that he and his family would soon regret moving to Birmingham, now I'm sure Dr. King was used to phone calls like this and other forms of threats; however, this night he became very frightened. He talked about how all these doubts and fears just overwhelmed him and for a couple minutes he almost lost sight of his purpose in the movement. It reminded me a lot of Jesus' confession to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane in which He asked God to take the cup from His hand if it be His will. Thus even Jesus and MLK got scared! But in both cases, the love for others and God given resilience proved true. Dr. King said that he immediately renounced the fear that he was feeling and began to pray earnestly that God would empower him to continue the task before him, because when we are at our weakest moments, that is when God is the strongest.
The connection I find between my homeless friend and MLK is the reality that all of the members of the civil rights movements were real people! Now, I know this seems like a ridiculous epiphany, but its their vulnerability that is so impacting. The men and women that protested were probably scared at times, they probably had doubts, they probably wanted to give up, and they maybe even hated what they had gotten themselves into...but what really makes them HEROES is not that they were supernatural but that they pushed through these thoughts and never gave up.
I am so inspired by the people I have read about this past week and truly hope that one day my life will amount to even a smidgen of the greatness they accomplishment---even if that just means living an ordinary life and pursuing the extraordinary when it flickers by.
---the inept blogger: Courtney :) (Syntyche's Group)
Day 5-Atlanta (William's Group)
Waking up this morning, we were greeted with a hazy and rainy Atlanta skyline. However, the weather did not deter us from exploring the Georgia capital. Our exploration of the city began at the King Visitor Center which included an exhibit and film about Dr. King's life and legacy as a pacifist and leader. The site also included a memorial to King and his wife, Coretta Scott-King, the founder of the site. Further exploration of the site was hindered by the weather, but our voyage through Atlanta continued. Thirty minutes and a few frustrating wrong turns later, we found ourselves at the Varsity, a landmark fast-food joint that prides itself on its delicious onion rings and constant calls of "Whadd'ya have?" Following a delicious, hurried meal, our group arrived at Books for Africa, a non-profit organization that ships books and school supplies to nearly every country on the African continent. We had a good time sorting through the useless cookbooks and college textbooks, organizing them into groups based on subject and reading level. Our service project was followed by free time spent exploring the city of Atlanta, leaving our travel bus behind and resorting to the services of the MARTA, the bus system, and maybe a few random taxi cabs. Several of us found ourselves marveling at the massive escalator while others spent time enjoying the luxuries of Atlantic Station that we as residents of Waco are unaccustomed to. We now find ourselves at the Baymont Inn, ready to enjoy a good night's sleep in a real bed, ready to continue on to the capital of yet another state, Montgomery, Alabama, marking the sixth day of our trip.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
B-Ham
Today we visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. This museum was awesome! I enjoyed seeing so much of the museum's old school footage of the Civil Rights Movement in the South. I was able to experience the unfair and often deplorable environment that African-Americans had to face in the 50's and 60's. I had heard stories in middle school history classes and Black History month excerpts, but nothing could prepare me for the evidence of the treatment they endured. Seeing teenagers and young adults assaulted with powerful water hoses and angry dogs was shocking and unimaginable. However, hearing Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech from original film footage at Washington renewed my faith in a community's ability to rise up against oppression and injustice. I think I must have been ignorant or just uneducated on all the aspects of this enduring mission but I now feel that I understand their struggles to be treated equally, even when that should have been granted to everyone under the Constitution.
We also visited the 16th Street church across the street where 4 girls were killed by a member of the KKK as a racial hate crime. This church was a rallying point for protests and demonstrations throughout Birmingham and it was seen as a symbol of freedom and power for the black community. Even though a bomb destroyed the facade of the church building, the terrorist could not destroy the spirit or passion of the black community. This act may have even spurned more people to join the Civil Rights Movement.
Birmingham is a great city. Everyone seemed friendly and inviting. We even met a homeless man who had great stories to tell us about the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 60's.
Jason blogging for JT's group
We also visited the 16th Street church across the street where 4 girls were killed by a member of the KKK as a racial hate crime. This church was a rallying point for protests and demonstrations throughout Birmingham and it was seen as a symbol of freedom and power for the black community. Even though a bomb destroyed the facade of the church building, the terrorist could not destroy the spirit or passion of the black community. This act may have even spurned more people to join the Civil Rights Movement.
Birmingham is a great city. Everyone seemed friendly and inviting. We even met a homeless man who had great stories to tell us about the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 60's.
Jason blogging for JT's group
Kelley Group-Birmingham
The tour of Birmingham provided us with yet another oppurtunity to relive the harsh realities faced by the blacks of the 1960's. The oppression and segregation in Birmingham was thought to be even worse than most other cities, simply because it was one of the larger cities of the time period so everything done there was magnified and placed on a national scale. The bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was finally enough to get things turned around for the minorities of Birmingham, not because the church was burned down, but due to the fact that four children were killed inside of the building and two others were murdered at the hands of white men. Before this it was not a rare occurence to see blacks doused with powerful firemen waterhoses or being mauled by vicious dogs while law enforcement stood aside and allowed these terrible acts to take place. The election of the first black mayor in the city of Birmingham, Richard Arrington, in 1979, was another win for minorities because he set off many programs and raised funds in order to help spear head the civil rights movement to where it is today.
Drake Alford
Drake Alford
Birmingham: The Magic City
This is Katie blogging for Brandi's small group.
We spent most of the morning exploring the National Civil Rights Museum. Best. Museum. Ever. I can promise you that I have never willingly spent 3 hours in a museum until today. The museum started at the "beginning" of the civil rights movement and took us all the way to present day. What I enjoyed most was that there were so many areas in which we could stop and watch actual video footage of what happened during the Movement. The museum overlooked the park in Birmingham where children were hosed down with high-pressure water hoses and bitten by police dogs all under the order of the city's government. Looking out of the museum windows onto the square where all that injustice happened caused me to pause for a moment and realize that those terrible things did not happen all that long ago. That people are still hurting from things that happened in our country 50 or 60 years ago.
We went across the street to Sixteenth St. Baptist Church, where 4 young black girls were killed when a bomb was detonated under the church. We read the eulogy that MLK JR read for those girls and these are some things that really stuck out to me:
"These children -- unoffending, innocent, and beautiful-- were the victims of one the vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity. And yet they died nobly. They are the martyred heroines of a holy crusade for freedom and human dignity. And this afternoon they have something to say to each of us in their death...They say to each of us, black and white alike, that we must substitute courage for caution...They say to us that we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the American dream."
Have I ever had to work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the American dream like those girls did? Like their families had to? Would I have the courage to walk through the streets of Birmingham knowing that I was going to be hurt or killed for a cause that I knew was right?
We spent most of the morning exploring the National Civil Rights Museum. Best. Museum. Ever. I can promise you that I have never willingly spent 3 hours in a museum until today. The museum started at the "beginning" of the civil rights movement and took us all the way to present day. What I enjoyed most was that there were so many areas in which we could stop and watch actual video footage of what happened during the Movement. The museum overlooked the park in Birmingham where children were hosed down with high-pressure water hoses and bitten by police dogs all under the order of the city's government. Looking out of the museum windows onto the square where all that injustice happened caused me to pause for a moment and realize that those terrible things did not happen all that long ago. That people are still hurting from things that happened in our country 50 or 60 years ago.
We went across the street to Sixteenth St. Baptist Church, where 4 young black girls were killed when a bomb was detonated under the church. We read the eulogy that MLK JR read for those girls and these are some things that really stuck out to me:
"These children -- unoffending, innocent, and beautiful-- were the victims of one the vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity. And yet they died nobly. They are the martyred heroines of a holy crusade for freedom and human dignity. And this afternoon they have something to say to each of us in their death...They say to each of us, black and white alike, that we must substitute courage for caution...They say to us that we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the American dream."
Have I ever had to work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the American dream like those girls did? Like their families had to? Would I have the courage to walk through the streets of Birmingham knowing that I was going to be hurt or killed for a cause that I knew was right?
Day Four: Birmingham, AL
Today's stop in Birmingham was the most real day for me thus far. To stand in the same park where hundreds of children were attacked by police dogs and fire hoses for attempting a peaceful march through town and then carried off to jail makes you stop in your tracks and reflect on your own character....Would I have been that brave? Would I have stood up to such adversity as a small child? In one account a mother ran to warn her son and the other children before the attacks of the brutality they were to face, his response:
"We know, and we are going anyway."
I can only hope and pray I would have had the courage to do the same.
Even more emotional than the park was sitting in 16th Street Church, the same church that was bombed in 1963 by members of the KKK, where 4 young girls ages 11-14 died. Just bystanders in turmoil that was Birmingham, the death of these young girls finally brought the national attention to Birmingham that was needed to begin true positive progress for the Civil Rights Movement.
We also visited the Birmingham Civil Rights institute, my favorite of the museums thus far. We were able to watch speeches and video clips of different individuals important in the Civil Rights Movement, which were so moving. Some of the most impactful things in the museum were propaganda films, statements, and pamphlets used to try and stop the Civil Rights Movement. The ignorance and hatred made my skin crawl…almost as much as the pictures of children age 6 and younger in mini Ku Klux Klan robes.
As I walked through the museum I couldn’t help but be struck by the quotes on the walls and in different exhibits, here are some of my favorites:
“If we are wrong, the Supreme Court is wrong,
If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong,
If we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“We will accept the violence and the hate, absorbing it without returning it.” – James Lawson(member of CORE and SCLC, supporter of the non-violence movement)
“They can outlaw an organization, but they can’t outlaw the movement of a people determined to be free.” –Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth (after the NAACP was banned in Alabama)
“Jail, no bail. We can stand it in there as long as people can stand it out here.” – College student members of SNNC (choosing 30 day jail sentences rather than a $100 fine to prove a point about the injustices in the South)
“Justice delayed, does not have to be justice denied.” – U.S. Attorney, Doug Jones
This trip has been so eye opening, enlightening, and emotional. I wish every person could take the same journey, I think our country would be a much better place.
On a completely unrelated note….if you ever make it to Birmingham stop by Mrs. B’s on 4th Ave, get the Banana pudding…best $1.10 you’ll ever spend in your life.
Ole Miss-Kelley's Small Group
We found it interesting that there is still a problem with racial integration on campus. For example when Patrick told us about the segregation in the dormitories, that took us by surprise. Even though the administration denies it there are predominantly white and black floors. We also noticed that when we were eating in the SUB, there was basically no mixing between the races at the tables: we were the only ones.
Later today we met Dr. Don Cole, an administrator at Ole Miss, who had been expelled from Ole Miss during his undergraduate years for protesting. One of the things that were interesting was that during that time his professors were supportive of his education and helped him out with his classes. We also thought that it was important that he addressed integration being freedom for everyone and how it released some from the constructs of racism that influenced them during their upbringing. The main point that we drew from his talk was that “what you’re looking for is what you’ll get.” It was amazing that he was able to turn the experience into a positive one and then even returned to receive his doctorate and has worked there for years.
We were really taken aback by the fact that we were actually able to hold a bill of sale for a 14-year old slave girl. The hate mail that James Meredith received was also astonishing because it was full of so much resentment and hate. It was just shocking to hold that piece of history and still have the realization that there are still people that feel and think that way. We are still in the midst of an ongoing process of acceptance and integration of and with one another.
Later today we met Dr. Don Cole, an administrator at Ole Miss, who had been expelled from Ole Miss during his undergraduate years for protesting. One of the things that were interesting was that during that time his professors were supportive of his education and helped him out with his classes. We also thought that it was important that he addressed integration being freedom for everyone and how it released some from the constructs of racism that influenced them during their upbringing. The main point that we drew from his talk was that “what you’re looking for is what you’ll get.” It was amazing that he was able to turn the experience into a positive one and then even returned to receive his doctorate and has worked there for years.
We were really taken aback by the fact that we were actually able to hold a bill of sale for a 14-year old slave girl. The hate mail that James Meredith received was also astonishing because it was full of so much resentment and hate. It was just shocking to hold that piece of history and still have the realization that there are still people that feel and think that way. We are still in the midst of an ongoing process of acceptance and integration of and with one another.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Oxford, Mississippi (Ole Miss)
After arriving at Ole Miss we spoke with Patrick from the Winter Institute of Racial Reconciliation.
One of the first questions thrown at him:
How are race relations on campus?
Answer:
I think there's a mix of apathy and historical amnesia.
Made me think of our panel discussion. Maybe we aren't becoming less racist and are becoming more politically correct.
The Winter institution was founded in 1999 and originally focused it's work in communities. In each community they ask for a bi-racial support group and open ears. The reconciliation is modeled after the The Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up in South Africa by Desmund Tutu after apartheid.
The TRC was a court-like body assembled after the abolition of apartheid. Victims of human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected for public hearings. Perpetrators of violence could also give testimony and request amnesty from both civil and criminal prosecution.
So the Winter Institute uses this model. Example: the Philadelphia Coalition, formed in 2004. For years, outsiders told Philadelphia's story -- 3 civil rights workers murdered with the help of police. But the actual residents of the city of Philadelphia, MS had never come together and called for justice.
I love that the Winter Institute is using the South African Truth Commission as an example for how to start the healing process.
That's exactly what this trip is about - SPEAKING up, to each other, and out about years of oppression and hate in order to move towards real reconciliation and love.
3 main Winter Institute projects:
One Mississippi, Senate bill 2718, and the Welcome Table series of retreats.
This was my second time to hear from Don Cole, and this time he was just as inspiring.
I might write more on what he said in another post, but this stuck with me.
Nick asked what Dr. Cole's motivation was ... and I was wondering the same thing at the time.
What kept him going to a university where almost everyone hates you when it would be so easy to just ... not?
His answer:
1. Because we were RIGHT. And that's something you can stand on no matter what.
2. I had never really failed at anything
3. The whole community was supporting you
Number 1 - I love. When you're right about something like justice,freedom, or human rights, your mind, body, and soul wants to scream it. Right is right is right. You don't loose sleep because you've spoken up too much for those rights.
I usually sleep best those nights. It's good for the soul. And it's great to hear another human being explain that feeling.
Amanda
One of the first questions thrown at him:
How are race relations on campus?
Answer:
I think there's a mix of apathy and historical amnesia.
Made me think of our panel discussion. Maybe we aren't becoming less racist and are becoming more politically correct.
The Winter institution was founded in 1999 and originally focused it's work in communities. In each community they ask for a bi-racial support group and open ears. The reconciliation is modeled after the The Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up in South Africa by Desmund Tutu after apartheid.
The TRC was a court-like body assembled after the abolition of apartheid. Victims of human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected for public hearings. Perpetrators of violence could also give testimony and request amnesty from both civil and criminal prosecution.
So the Winter Institute uses this model. Example: the Philadelphia Coalition, formed in 2004. For years, outsiders told Philadelphia's story -- 3 civil rights workers murdered with the help of police. But the actual residents of the city of Philadelphia, MS had never come together and called for justice.
I love that the Winter Institute is using the South African Truth Commission as an example for how to start the healing process.
That's exactly what this trip is about - SPEAKING up, to each other, and out about years of oppression and hate in order to move towards real reconciliation and love.
3 main Winter Institute projects:
One Mississippi, Senate bill 2718, and the Welcome Table series of retreats.
This was my second time to hear from Don Cole, and this time he was just as inspiring.
I might write more on what he said in another post, but this stuck with me.
Nick asked what Dr. Cole's motivation was ... and I was wondering the same thing at the time.
What kept him going to a university where almost everyone hates you when it would be so easy to just ... not?
His answer:
1. Because we were RIGHT. And that's something you can stand on no matter what.
2. I had never really failed at anything
3. The whole community was supporting you
Number 1 - I love. When you're right about something like justice,freedom, or human rights, your mind, body, and soul wants to scream it. Right is right is right. You don't loose sleep because you've spoken up too much for those rights.
I usually sleep best those nights. It's good for the soul. And it's great to hear another human being explain that feeling.
Amanda
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Memphis: Day 2
Today, we visited the National Civil Rights Museum. Museums allow the old to remember and the young to learn. We celebrate out great triumphs and mourn our great wrongs. Most importantly though, museums allow us to integrate our past into our future.
I cannot count the number of times that I or one of my friends pointed out an evil that should be changed, yet failed to do anything about it. More than once it has been said among my friends that college students have no power and cannot truly change anything. Personally, I feel helpless in the face of adversity; I wish to change problems I see around me, but believe I cannot. The biggest problem that I face though, and perhaps others do as well, is that I allow my feelings of helplessness to turn into feelings of apathy. I allow myself to do nothing because I believe that nothing will come of it.
After leaving the NCRM though, I felt empowered. Seeing photographs and videos of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee combating racism and tyranny and sacrificing their own livelihood for a cause greater than themselves, I felt great hope that I and other college students can be the cause of change in America and abroad. With this said, I am not disillusioned to the fact that the students working with SNCC worked tirelessly for countless years, yet enjoyed many more failures than successes. Progress was slow and change only occurred through the collective will and blood of thousands. I am only one person, and at times, do not have the will to leave the couch to turn the channel of my TV, but still, I left the NCRM believing that I can be and should be part of changes that need to occur in our country today.
I cannot wait to go to Oxford tomorrow.
I cannot count the number of times that I or one of my friends pointed out an evil that should be changed, yet failed to do anything about it. More than once it has been said among my friends that college students have no power and cannot truly change anything. Personally, I feel helpless in the face of adversity; I wish to change problems I see around me, but believe I cannot. The biggest problem that I face though, and perhaps others do as well, is that I allow my feelings of helplessness to turn into feelings of apathy. I allow myself to do nothing because I believe that nothing will come of it.
After leaving the NCRM though, I felt empowered. Seeing photographs and videos of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee combating racism and tyranny and sacrificing their own livelihood for a cause greater than themselves, I felt great hope that I and other college students can be the cause of change in America and abroad. With this said, I am not disillusioned to the fact that the students working with SNCC worked tirelessly for countless years, yet enjoyed many more failures than successes. Progress was slow and change only occurred through the collective will and blood of thousands. I am only one person, and at times, do not have the will to leave the couch to turn the channel of my TV, but still, I left the NCRM believing that I can be and should be part of changes that need to occur in our country today.
I cannot wait to go to Oxford tomorrow.
Today we went to the National Civil Rights Musuem in Memphis, Tennessee! The tour proved to be far more than expected. We had the pleasure of taking on Mrs. Jolynn as our tour guide and pretty much awesomeness followed! Mrs. Jolynn guided us through the beginnings of slavery all the way through the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King Jr's unfortunate death. She was so jovial and committed to her job that she blew every single one of us away. I could not help but feel anger towards all of the segregationalists because the atrocities committed against fellow American citizens who happened to be black were unbareable to even hear about! As an African American college student I have always been proud of my history and been strengthen by the sheer thought of the courage of the people who stood up to injustice. In small group, I expressed how much sadness I felt when realizing that I sometimes forget just how much sacrifice was put into everyday rights of all of us. I cannot help but stretch my own experience to most other African American people who take the right to vote for granted, when in all actuality voting was the most detrimental injustice denied to African Americans. We broadened our problems with today's society to even the classrooms. In small group we reflected on how usually white teachers feel guilty and unfit to teach about Black Heritage and the Civil Rights Movement. This situation is dishearting because our through our schools, one of the most powerful forces during the fight against segregation, we are naturing our future doctors and lawyers to be ignorant to a great part of American History. If we never realize the mistakes of the past our society will not be granted the opportunity to transcend prejudices that hinder the movement toward a brighter future. Today..... was a good day!
Joe Guillory
Joe Guillory
Day 2- Memphis
Wow! Where do I start? Memphis is an amazing city with so much history and a unique culture that is unlike any city I've ever visited. Church was good at Mississippi Blvd. Christian Church. The service was very lively, the music was great, and the message on "Love" was very encouraging.
After service, we visited the Civil Rights Museum and I enjoyed every bit of it. It made me think about the things we take for granted, and it also helped me realized the passion these civil rights leaders had for the things they fought for. It nearly brought tears to my eyes when we were able to walk through the Lorraine Motel and see Dr. King's actual room and the spot on the balcony where he was shot. Growing up we hear these stories over and over and don't really pay much attention to them, but today provided me with another perspective and I will never view these events in the same way again. We had a tour guide who was born and raised in Memphis and was excellent when it came to explaining the history of events to our group. Well it's been a long day and I'm tired, in the morning we're on to our next stop, Oxford!
Great ribs, great people, priceless history, good times...gotta love Memphis...
-J. Evans
Memphis Day Two
We started the day off right with the 10:00 A.M. service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. This church was the first African-American congregation in the city of Memphis to belong to the brotherhood of the Christian Churches (or Disciples of Christ). The church was in the middle of celebrating Lent and their theme of the service today was Love and Anger. After a powerful message and many welcoming handshakes from the congregation, we left to go to the National Civil Rights Museum.
The National Civil Rights Museum was attached to the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was murdered in 1968. We had an enthusiastic tour guide named Jolynn whose passion for the Civil Rights Movement captured our attention for the entire tour. One of the most shocking things I saw at the Museum was a picture of a lynching of Jesse Washington in Waco, Texas in 1916. There was a quote beneath the sobering photo that read, "The tree where the lynching was done was right under the Mayor's window. Mayor Dollins was standing in the window, not concerned about what they were doing to the boy but that the tree would be destroyed." It was startling to me that we had come all the way from Texas to experience major landmarks in the Civil Rights Movement and something so significant had happened right back in our home of Waco. We were also allowed to look at the rooms where MLK stayed at the Lorraine Hotel and out onto the balcony where MLK was shot. It was unreal to be feet away from the spot, forever marked by a wreath, where MLK was assassinated.
The tour continued across the street to the building where James Earl Ray was believed to have shot MLK from. The building was a boardinghouse in 1968 and the room that Ray had rented has been preserved for visitors to look at. This part of the museum also included the various conspiracy theories about James Earl Ray and how many people believed that he was not the only person involved in the plot to kill MLK.
After the National Civil Rights Museum, we drove to Beale Street to eat as well as experience the famous nightlife. It was my second night of Memphis barbecue and I have to say I will definitely miss it when we leave Tennessee.
Hey this is Courtney from Syntyche's Group and today we were in Memphis!
We started off the morning with the most delicious, wonderful, and simply to die for sweet potato pancakes at the Arcade Cafe and then headed to church. The service at Blvd. was legit. I think there was like 5 soloists and their voices were God given gifts. The entire experience was so refreshing and exhilarating. The pastor's message was on love not being easily angered and it really just brought in an entire spirit of love and unity into both the church and our group. The congregation was so welcoming and they officially have the cutest children on the planet!
Next we went to the National Civil Rights museum and had Jolynn give us the full experience. She is a passionate actress and civil rights activist and hearing her perspective on the movement really inspired all of us. For me personally, it was the section where she talked about SNCC and the sit ins that was truly inspiring. She kept talking about how it was college students that were taking action and that "college students" did this and that. It made me realize that we really can make a difference now! We are not "just students" or immature people that want to party, we can have passions, dreams, and if we allow our hearts to lead us then we can make an impact in our world.
I think that overall this was sort of the purpose of the trip; a chance to look back on history and see how people rose up and did things that had not been done before. This is motivation for us to act as well, and to not make excuses for apathy.
Today we went to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. We learned more about desegregation of schools, bus boycotts, sit-ins, and protests. I can't help but wonder...if placed in the same situation, would I be willing to endure the same humiliation, fear, violence, hardship? Part of the museum is built around the room at the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Standing in the room where MLK spent his last minutes, I couldn't help but think about the movement and the countless number of people who gave their lives for the promise of equality and freedom. Would I do the same? For what issues would I be willing to give up my life?
National Civil Rights Museum
//Mel; writing for J.T's Group//
Hello All,
Today was jam packed and well worth it! We arrived, went to Blvd. church, and it was seriously the most welcoming church I've ever been to! I was overwhelmed by the hospitality and the way they worshiped. I have never worshiped so honestly ever in my life. It's amazing to have music radiate within you and the people around you. The message was honest, easy to relate to, and full of love and forgiveness. 2 1/2 hours later, after church ended, we were greeted with hugs and thanksgiving, it's an example of how a church and it's people should serve.
We then arrived at the National Civil Rights Museum, our tour guide was "Jolynn" and she was a passionate elder women, who said "she lived by her art."The museum was amazing and really gave a comprehensive view over the civil rights movement as a whole. As I was walking through a timeline of America's history, I reflected and felt so uneducated about our history. It is obvious that it was an "unremitting struggle" that still continues on today. It left me empowered to carry on the story and the message.
The highlight for me was MLK's bedroom at the Loraine hotel. His room is preserved exactly how he left it. It was like going back in time and i felt so humbled to get a glimpse into history. //side note: everyone MUST read MLK's last speech "I've seen the promised land"// AMAZING.
After the tour we met in our small groups, it was the most honest conversation I've ever had about race. I wish those conversations would happen more often in unplanned environments. About things that matter, stir emotions, and inspire us to be and do better. The most important thing i took away from today was that "silence makes a statement."
//think about it...//
peace
Memphis, Tennessee
March 7, 2010 (day 2). Today we attended church service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. The pastor there is Dr. Frank A. Thomas. They are doing a 4o days of Love campaign, and today's theme is "Love is not irritable". I enjoyed service tremendously as well as the hospitality of the church members.
Following service we visited the National Civil Rights Museum. Our tour guide, Jo Lynne Paulmer, was thoroughly excited about the Civil Rights Movement, especially because she lived in Memphis when desegregation of schools was occurring. It was really awesome that she experienced those things firsthand. Some of the new things I learned or was not familiar with: The Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated was originally named the Windsor Motel but was renamed by the Baileys after a song called "Sweet Lorraine" by Nat King Cole; Jim Crow Laws were named after a minstrel show character named Jim Crow who represented being happy under oppression (ironic huh?); Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks attended the Highlander Folk School which taught them about taking nonviolent action against unjust laws; the bus boycotts, led by the Montgomery Improvement Association, lasted for 381 days; James Meredith was not a part of any well known organizations, he acted alone in his efforts; Birmingham was also known as "burning"ham and "bombing" ham.
We also got to see some of the evidence against James Earl Ray, Dr. MLK Jr.'s supposed assassin, had many aliases of Canadian men. Each of the aliases he used were of men with similar physical attributes. How interesting! We stood in the room that the shot supposedly came from. Mr. Ray was convicted of the crime, but due to several unanswered questions it is uncertain as to whether he is the true assassin.
After a very long tour we headed to BEALE STREET for some fun adventures and some dinner! Most of us witnessed a very talented artist who painted pictures of the city and people who were wiling to sit and get their pictures drawn. We also enjoyed live blues and some interesting gift shops as well. I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!
Kaylon E.
Following service we visited the National Civil Rights Museum. Our tour guide, Jo Lynne Paulmer, was thoroughly excited about the Civil Rights Movement, especially because she lived in Memphis when desegregation of schools was occurring. It was really awesome that she experienced those things firsthand. Some of the new things I learned or was not familiar with: The Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated was originally named the Windsor Motel but was renamed by the Baileys after a song called "Sweet Lorraine" by Nat King Cole; Jim Crow Laws were named after a minstrel show character named Jim Crow who represented being happy under oppression (ironic huh?); Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks attended the Highlander Folk School which taught them about taking nonviolent action against unjust laws; the bus boycotts, led by the Montgomery Improvement Association, lasted for 381 days; James Meredith was not a part of any well known organizations, he acted alone in his efforts; Birmingham was also known as "burning"ham and "bombing" ham.
We also got to see some of the evidence against James Earl Ray, Dr. MLK Jr.'s supposed assassin, had many aliases of Canadian men. Each of the aliases he used were of men with similar physical attributes. How interesting! We stood in the room that the shot supposedly came from. Mr. Ray was convicted of the crime, but due to several unanswered questions it is uncertain as to whether he is the true assassin.
After a very long tour we headed to BEALE STREET for some fun adventures and some dinner! Most of us witnessed a very talented artist who painted pictures of the city and people who were wiling to sit and get their pictures drawn. We also enjoyed live blues and some interesting gift shops as well. I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!
Kaylon E.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Kelley's group - Little Rock
Picture this: You are a 15 year old girl that is doing everything you can in order to receive a quality education. I mean you are genuinely wanting to learn about the various subjects that every other child in the country is learning about. You've been told all your life that education is the key to a better life. The plan is that after high school you are hopefully going to college and then once you receive that degree you will have better job opportunities than your parents and grandparents could even imagine. Now during this point and time in our lives, most parents don't want their teenagers to work because our job is to get the best grades possible and you must stay focused on that. If there is a sport or some other type of extracurricular activity that you are interested in participating in, then you go for it. In between classes and extracurricular, you are able to enjoy life with all of your friends that you have in high school Eating lunch together, walking down the halls laughing about a joke someone made in your last class, just enjoying life.
Well unfortunately that was not the life that every 15 yr. old girl or boy was able to have while going to high school. The Little Rock Nine did all they could to attend Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas. They not only had to worry about being successful in the classroom, but they had to be concerned about whether or not they would be able to make it into the school doors without being harmed. Once they got passed the school doors, they had to be concerned about: whether or not multiple students would have something negative to say; to spit on them; ruin their school books; throw baseballs at them during gym class; wondering if a group of students were waiting to flush their heads in the toilets once they were in the bathrooms; or even worry that teachers didn't really want to teach them.
Really, can you imagine on a daily basis having to wonder if you were going to make it home safely from school each day all because you were wanting a quality education?
Having the ability to walk the same grounds of the Little Rock Nine was both heart wrenching and empowering at the same time. It's hard to imagine that people could be so hateful towards a child because they were trying to get the education that was supposedly promised to them as a birth right here in the United States. It's also hard to hear and see the things that these teenagers had to endure on a daily basis. Taking that walk from the beginning pathway of the school and up those stairs to the front door is something that takes about 3 minutes at a easy going pace. I can only imagine that in their time, that 3 minute walk usually took the Little Rock Nine about 10 minutes to get through. Having to make their way through the mobs of people trying to protest their presence there, while having the National Guards encamped around the Little Rock Nine for protection.
How many of you think that you would be able to deal with everything that they did and still be successful in high school?
Little Rock - William's Group
Hey there everybody!
Today was quite interesting. Day one of a week long time of learning and reflection. We visited the famous central HS in Little Rock, Ar. While there we had time to discuss several topics, including: the idea of separate but equal, and who is hurt more by segregation. We were able to notice that like the courts ruled later, separate is inherently unequal. When you try to run a socio-political system in which you have different types of people being reminded of their differences, this creates tension. If taken to the extreme, there may even be the establishment of parallel worlds: two alternate versions of everything in a society. But clearly, this is not feasible. We have had the opportunity to see what happens when people are separated, and for the most part, we don't like it. It seems that is up to us to push forward to avoid ever falling back into a shameful past.
Thus bring me to a second main point: that of who was/is hurt more by segregation? Well, blacks had a lot to endure, from physical abuses, political and legal disadvantages, not to mention social mistreatment. There is no end to exploring the depths of what was once done to American blacks. Also, as a whole, society is harmed when there is lack of diversity. people will not kow how to deal with others who are not like them, so when they go out into the world they will still have problems because they lacked experience growing up. Self images of black youth are harmed as well, this may not really have a definite value; it may reach into all aspects of a child's life. Ultimately, looking at the past it seems that segregation of any kind is not a good thing.
But on the bright side, Rendezvous BBQ was really good...
Today was quite interesting. Day one of a week long time of learning and reflection. We visited the famous central HS in Little Rock, Ar. While there we had time to discuss several topics, including: the idea of separate but equal, and who is hurt more by segregation. We were able to notice that like the courts ruled later, separate is inherently unequal. When you try to run a socio-political system in which you have different types of people being reminded of their differences, this creates tension. If taken to the extreme, there may even be the establishment of parallel worlds: two alternate versions of everything in a society. But clearly, this is not feasible. We have had the opportunity to see what happens when people are separated, and for the most part, we don't like it. It seems that is up to us to push forward to avoid ever falling back into a shameful past.
Thus bring me to a second main point: that of who was/is hurt more by segregation? Well, blacks had a lot to endure, from physical abuses, political and legal disadvantages, not to mention social mistreatment. There is no end to exploring the depths of what was once done to American blacks. Also, as a whole, society is harmed when there is lack of diversity. people will not kow how to deal with others who are not like them, so when they go out into the world they will still have problems because they lacked experience growing up. Self images of black youth are harmed as well, this may not really have a definite value; it may reach into all aspects of a child's life. Ultimately, looking at the past it seems that segregation of any kind is not a good thing.
But on the bright side, Rendezvous BBQ was really good...
Little Rock- J.T. Snipes
Jam Bo World!
So it's day one we have had quite a long day. But it's been good though. The highlight of today was our journey to Little Rock, Ark. to visit the "Little Rock Nine" museum. It was very riveting for me personally because I actually didn't know that much about the occurrence regarding theses students in its entirety.
While touring the museum I was able to learn extensively about each individual that was involved in this trail blazing act. It was amazing to be able for their experience to become more vivid for me as I was able to explore the very campus that they stepped foot on that day.
One of the most interesting things to me about these individuals is the importance of education to them. They viewed it as almost sacred and that feeling was perpetuated within their families who were supporting them. It's encouraging and equally challenging in the same respect when I ponder the drive that each of the Little Rock Nine must have possessed to submit themselves to that experience to be able to clinch such a prestigious education at what was considered at the time the best high school in the state. Their willingness to defy the norms of education in this region was phenomenal. It gives me a new perspective on my education and challenges me to hold it with higher esteem and really cherish the opportunity I have.
I am looking forward to tomorrow as we will be touring some instrumental landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement in Memphis, Tn. I will say that one song that I was listening to today that kinda spoke to me was Ali In the Jungle by The Hours...check it out if you have some free time. Well I'm about to lay it down for the night. Until next time.
Goodnight World!
Nicholas Brown
So it's day one we have had quite a long day. But it's been good though. The highlight of today was our journey to Little Rock, Ark. to visit the "Little Rock Nine" museum. It was very riveting for me personally because I actually didn't know that much about the occurrence regarding theses students in its entirety.
While touring the museum I was able to learn extensively about each individual that was involved in this trail blazing act. It was amazing to be able for their experience to become more vivid for me as I was able to explore the very campus that they stepped foot on that day.
One of the most interesting things to me about these individuals is the importance of education to them. They viewed it as almost sacred and that feeling was perpetuated within their families who were supporting them. It's encouraging and equally challenging in the same respect when I ponder the drive that each of the Little Rock Nine must have possessed to submit themselves to that experience to be able to clinch such a prestigious education at what was considered at the time the best high school in the state. Their willingness to defy the norms of education in this region was phenomenal. It gives me a new perspective on my education and challenges me to hold it with higher esteem and really cherish the opportunity I have.
I am looking forward to tomorrow as we will be touring some instrumental landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement in Memphis, Tn. I will say that one song that I was listening to today that kinda spoke to me was Ali In the Jungle by The Hours...check it out if you have some free time. Well I'm about to lay it down for the night. Until next time.
Goodnight World!
Nicholas Brown
Little Rock, Arkansas
Whoa the Little Rock Museum was so cool. There were pictures and exhibits explaining about not only the events that took place in Little Rock, but also about events in all Civil Rights movements that took place. One exhibit showed the racism that Japanese-Americans fought after WWII and also an exhibit about Emmitt Till. Central High School in Little Rock, where the Little Rock Nine events took place, was so big. The school was six stories tall and cost $1.5 million to build in 1927! That's crazy, but it was so cool. Today was fun, can't wait for tomorrow!
Syntyche`s Small Group- Little Rock, Arkansas to Memphis, TN
Today was our first day of the trip. After a long drive, we arrived at Little Rock Central High, the historic site of the desegregation crisis of 1957 and the Little Rock Nine. During the visit we had the opportunity to listen to stories of others which made us realize that as citizens it is our responsibility to question the things around us and take appropriate action to evoke change. Also in the museum, we learned that a number of students at Central High looked back on the crisis with regret because although they had not personally harassed the nine African American students, they did nothing and said nothing to stop the harassment of those nine, either because of intimidation or lack of care. That made us reflect on our behaviors and find ways to take responsibility for things happening around us. On a brighter note, we drove to Memphis and ate ribs!! On the way to Memphis, we watched two documentaries about the Black Power movement and Martin Luther King`s vision of the promised land. This gave us a preview of sites we are visiting tomorrow (Civil Rights Museum & The hotel where MLK was assassinated).
-Kala Woodbridge, Nick Batts, Hanna Brooks & Courtney Kurylo
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