I sang last night

They say it ain't over til the fat lady sings. I'm a fat lady and I sang last night at a Karaoke bar on Beale Street and now we are on the bus headed back to Durham. I am able to write this post while riding because I had a heavy dose of Dramamine earlier. The picture that you see in this post is the view that I've had for the last few days on this bus. We definitely spent more time here collectively than anywhere else. The 2 heads you see are if our fearless leaders Owen and Anthony. They have done a remarkable job planning and implementing this trip Originally when we began I wished that we could have done the trip in reverse order so that the long 12 hour drive that we are on now could have been over with after the first day but today I changed my mind. I think it was so meaningful to end at the place where King took his last breath in Memphis for a couple of reasons.  First of all it makes sense that we end in the place where the common denominator for much of the Movement ended. However, it also is symbolic that it's from here we leave to go back home taking up where King had to leave off. So now as the bus driver, Daniel, played for us while leaving Memphis...ON MY WAY HOME!!!!

where Dr. King took his last breath

The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN

Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth

This is Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth.  He is a Civil Rights activist in Birmingham.  His story is remarkable.  His house was bombed as he lay in bed one night. He was beaten by an angry mob very badly for trying to register his kids into an all White school, he organized marches and events during the Movement.  My favorite story is how he was hung upside down in jail when he was arrested.  While upside down, he managed somehow to write the words "Segregation is a sin" on the wall of the jail cell.  Because of this, he said, I wasn't afraid of their jail.  There is a monument in the Kelly Ingram park that depicts this event.  A nice gentleman in the park explained that to me.  He also pointed out that the tree that is planted behind the 16th Street Baptist church after the girls died has four branches that reach towards the sky.  Coincidence.  I don't think so.

I was shocked to find out about Rev. Shuttlesworth.  It seems to get much recognition as a Civil Rights Activist you have to have been killed.  A goal for myself is to learn more about and teach about the lesser know activists like Rev. Shuttlesworth.

Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham

16th Street Baptist Church

The next to last day of our trip was spent in Birmingham.  We started off in Kelly Ingram Park which sets on the opposite corner of the street from the 16th Street Baptist Church pictured above.  I put my music in my ears as we walked around the park and church.  I didn't want to engage in conversation.  I just wanted to think about those 4 little girls who lost their life at that church.  Those 4 innocent lives who had nothing to do with the hatred that existed in that place.  

Later we went through the Civil Rights Museum of Birmingham.  What a place!  I thought that we had seen the best Civil Rights Memorial yesterday, but this one was the best as far as facts go.  It details the history of Blacks and Whites in Alabama and compares it to the rest of the Nation through timelines.  There are visual displays that are absolutely magnificent.  For example, when comparing the "separate but equal" nation that America pretended to have--they compared infant mortality rate, blue and white collar jobs, dollars spent on students, pupils in a classroom, etc.  Instead of just giving statistics, they had visual displays.  Crosses that stood for those percentages of infant mortality rates.  Blue and White shirts that measured those jobs like a bar graph, and a stack of books to represent that amount of money spent on black students and white students.  It was clear to see the disparities through these exhibits.  The museum also has several movies to watch about different parts of the Movement.  When Owen, one of our trip leaders, told us that we had 2 hours in the Museum, I thought that that would be more than enough time and when I finished I would go into the 16th Street Baptist Church for a tour and to see the memorial for the 4 girls.  Well. . .  2 hours was barely enough time for me to get around the entire museum.  I had to skip the last 2 exhibits so I could hit up the gift shop.  

At the gift shop I purchased a sign to go in the foyer of my townhouse.  It says "Colored Entrance"  I asked the white people in the store with me if they would be offended if they came into my house and saw that sign and they said that they wouldn't.  I thought maybe others who came into my house wouldn't understand why I had it there.  I think if folks ask then that will be a wonderful time for me to explain that I am remembering my past.  I won't be able to go by that sign without thinking about the freedoms that were fought for me.

We then got on the bus for our 4 hour ride to Memphis.  So far Memphis has been about relaxing a bit and playing.  We went down to Beale Street where we had ribs and BBKing and Karaoke.  What a lovely way to end the evening.  I liked the ribs the best because the waiter after being very rude to us (in the most loving way, he was really funny) proposed to me.  So I've got a fiance in Memphis.  Never mind that he is older than my daddy. . .he still wants to marry me.  I think it's because I wore mascara tonight, because I managed to get us a discount getting into the BBKing joint as well.  Go figure.  Every night before we turn in, we debrief about our day.  Today's debriefing was my favorite.  Much needed relaxation and fun after a very emotionally draining few days.  

Now tomorrow.  The Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was shot.  Get out the tissues again.

Today in a nutshell. . .as if that's possible

We began to day in Montgomery, Alabama where we had a chance to see the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and to stand on the steps of the Capital Building where Governor George Wallace gave his "Segregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow, Segregation Forever" declaration.  I took a picture with my white collegue hand and hand right in that spot!  (That along with other pictures were taken with friends camaras so won't be posted on this blog quite yet).  Ha! Gov. Wallace is all I could think.  It was quite amazing how close the Dexter Street Baptist Church is to those steps.  The only church where MLK served as senior pastor and the meeting place of the first SCLC when they were organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

From there we went to the Civil Rights Memorial Center which is sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  What a place.  We watched a short movie about the efforts of the Civil Rights leaders and the work that this center still does today to fight injustice everywhere.  I had heard Morris Deas (one of their founders) speak a few years ago in Chapel Hill.  I am still inspired by the work that he and others have done to keep the goals of the Civil Rights movement in existence today.  There was heavy security at this place because they often get threats since they try a lot of cases against the KKK.

From there we spent time at the memorial.   There are pictures posted on the blog already of this wonderful memorial. . .and the teachers running their fingers over the names on it.  

After there we went to the Rosa Parks museum.  We didn't get to stay because they had another visitor there who didn't want to tour the museum with us.  It was Amy from that show Little People Big World.  I was in the gift shop when she came by so I missed her, but others in my group got to take pictures with her.  Apparently, she wasn't very nice.  We did get to go in the giftshop where I bought a couple of posters and a button that says, "Women who behave rarely make history!"

From there it was on to Birmingham and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (written about on another post.)

Finally, we went to our final destination which was SO moving.  We had the opportunity to spend an evening with Chris McNair.  Father of Denise McNair, one of the little girls who died in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.  We watched Spike Lee's documentary, Four Little Girls and then had dinner with him and listened to him speak.  His daughter cooked a meal for us.  He was so personable and kind.  My favorite part about him was how there was no hate, as far as I could tell, about this tragic event that happened to him.  He is a photographer so we got to see many of the photos that he has taken throughout the years of the Movement.  There was also a room in memory of his daughter with some of her childhood things like her little sewing machine, dolls, and the shoes and purse she was wearing on that tragic day.  Also in a glass case was the brick that was lodged in her skull.  

In Denise's memorial room there is also a letter that Spike Lee wrote to him in 1984 when he was still an unknown filmmaker expressing interest in documenting the story of the murders of those little girls.

At the end of the night, I took a picture with Mr. McNair with my friends camera which will be posted later.  

This trip has made me reflect in so many way in this short amount of time.  I am called to the words that I wrote in the purpose statement back in the spring about how my purpose in life is to "Stand up for justice."  Again I have been called to the words that I created in my Landmark Seminar at the end of June to be "Courageous and Committed."  I bought two framed pictures with those words and pictures of the Movement.  I had no idea what all of that meant less than a week ago.  I thought I did.  But now I do.  I have work to do for Denise and all the other martyrs.  I have work to do for my children and my grandchildren.  I have a commitment that I placed on a wall in Montgomery, Alabama to fight injustice.

Another view of the Civil Rights Memorial

"Doc" Frank Adams

While in Birmingham, we stopped at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and one of the hall of famers took us around to the exhibits.  He was a wonderful resource of information, full of stories and energy.  He told us at one point if we couldn't walk up the steps with him then we could take the elevator. . .well, we who could get on the elevator at that point???  He played with Duke Ellington and other well known Jazz Musicians.  Since I don't know Jazz that well, I didn't know much about the other people that he played with, but it was a load of fun just being with him.  Seemingly, this stop didn't have much to do with Civil Rights. . .however, hearing his success story during a time of such racial discrimination in the South (especially Birmingham!) was remarkable and uplifting.  And hearing him play his clarinet.  Wow.  I loved the story that he shared with us about how he "found" jazz by hitting a blue note by accident.  I had the same feeling when I was teaching myself play the guitar and my finger slipped on the strings and gave me a wonderfully different sound.  I guess I found jazz on my guitar!

Doc. . . what a gem.

Wall of Tolerance

There is a room in the Civil Rights Memorial Center called the Wall of Tolerance.  There are computer screens around the room where people are asked to take an oath, so to speak, to keep their commitment towards ending hate and hate crimes.  The Civil Rights Memorial Center website says, "Those who place their names on the wall make a commitment to work in their daily lives for justice, equality and human rights--the ideals for which the martyrs of the Civil Rights movement died."  This picture is of my name, added to the wall forever.  Yet another moving experience for me on this trip.

Civil Rights Memorial Center

The Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Alabama is amazing.  This picture (and a couple of others posted above this one) is of the memorial that's in front of the museum.  This memorial was done by Maya Lin, the same woman who crafted the Vietnam War Memorial.  She used the theme from MLK's "I have a dream" speech. . . "Until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."  (which MLK paraphrased from the book of Amos in the Bible).  There is a wall with water flowing down it and a circular pool with 40 names of Civil Rights martyrs.  The place that I chose for this picture is the blank space between the start of the movement with the 1954 Montgomery Bus Boycott and MLK's assassination in 1968.  This blank space was left because Lin acknowledged that the fight for Civil Rights began long before the boycott and there is still work to be done after MLK's death.  That's where I come in, so I wanted to commemorate that in this photo.

after church at ebenezer

Here is a picture of all of us all dolled up after church two days ago. Anthony, one of the trip leaders, sent it to the group in an email and I thought it would be nice to include here. And on top of that I look good in the picture. Don't you think so?

Slavery and Civil War Museum

Normally I wouldn't have this word up on my blog. But we just visited
the slavery and civil war museum and it was one of the exhibits. It's
about 3pm and we're on to Montgomery. I'll have to give a full story
about this museum later. For right now I'll just leave it at--it was
one of the most powerful things that has ever happened to me.

Later. . .

So when we pulled up to the museum a lady got on our bus and told us that we had been captured.  She began talking to us as if we were slaves.  She referred to us as "girl" "boy" "Sambo" and. . . "Nigger"  We weren't allowed to make eye contact with her or her partner and we were told that we had to bend our knees when we walked.  For the next 45 minute they took us through a slavery simulation, from holding cell, to boat, to auction line. . .all as a part of the simulation.  I don't want to go into too much detail in case those of you who are reading this ever go to Selma for this experience.  Just know that I cried a lot as I thought about what my ancestors endured.  I always talk to my students about the benefits of slavery.  We live in a wealthy nation, I am an American, I am a Christian. . .I think I always tell them that because I don't want the kids in my class (mainly white kids) to experience White guilt. . .but you know what. . .after today's experience, I don't think that any of those benefits were worth what my people went through.  Maybe I will feel differently about it tomorrow.  But right now, I understand in a whole different kind of way how humiliating and psychologically tragic the experience of slavery was.  In our debriefing session tonight many people brought up other instances of psychological warfare and cultural genocide. . .the holucaust, Darfur, Rwanda. . .but all I could think about was my ancestors and the cruelty that they went through for almost 400 years.

After we left the Slavery museum we drove to Montgomery where we had a tour of the Equal Justice Initiative.  This is a group of lawyers who take cases (mostly in Alabama) of people that are on Death Row or kids who have been given life sentences and have no legal representation mainly due to poverty.  We were shown pictures of people who were wrongfully accused and people who were given life sentences for non-homicide offenses.  What got me were the 73 cases of 13-14 year olds who have been sentenced to "life in prison" but what they purposefully call "death in prison" because of state mandates based on the crimes that they have committed.  5 of those kids are in North Carolina.  This group provided me with some hope (like Joanne did) that there are people out there doing something.  It also made me a bit overwhelmed about what do I do?  But what it made me reflect on most was how the evils of slavery and oppression still rear its ugly head.  even today.

We were also reminded in Selma (like I wrote in the blog on yesterday) that Selma doesn't look like a city that has progressed in the 50 years since the movement.  It looks like it might have looked back then.  Poor neighborhoods.  Segregated communities.  Housing projects.  I am called to do something.  It might not be for Selma, but I know now that I am called.  I just have to figure out to what.

Forgive misspellings in this post.  I am emotionally drained right now as you can imagine and don't feel like proofreading.  I will do so tomorrow. 

This is Joanne

If Joanne knew that I posted this on my blog she would probably charge me $1 (at least).  But I know that she would use that money towards furthering the cause of Civil Rights in Selma.  She has cofounded two museums in Selma for the preservation of this history.  We visited both of them today.  The first was a Voting Rights Museum and the other was the Slavery and Civil War museum.  Joanne is a Civil Rights activist.  The first time she was arrested was when she was 8 years old.  She was with her grandmother who was trying to register to vote.  She participated in several marches.  She tells very candid and personal stories about her experiences.  I was most moved by the way that she stands up for what she believes in.  I often pretend that that is who I am.  But I have nothing on this lady.  I want to.

One of the coolest things that she did with us was to have us stand on a piece of cement where the marchers gathered before they headed across the Edmund Pettus bridge.  She had us all pick up a rock.  She told us stories about the folks who had stood on those rocks.  She told us that we could take the rocks only if we promised to keep them in a place that we could look at them and remember those who had stood on them and draw courage from them.  I held on to my rock and plan to put it in a prominent place when I get back home.  I held on to my rock at the slavery museum as well when things got really difficult to handle.

Another stop on our journey was to a soul food restaurant that has been around for years and years owned by the Townes family.  We found out that it was the last place that Rev. James Reeb ate before he was clubbed to death for being in Selma as part of the movement in 1965.  Joanne also pointed out the man who struck him that night.  He owns a car dealership in Selma.  He was standing outside of his establishment.  She said that they were trying to have his case re-opened so that he could be convicted of the murder that he committed.  

Joanne also has plans for Selma.  She talked about how she chooses to stay in the black neighborhood and support black businesses.  She talks about plans that she has to restore some of the old houses.  The museums that we went to were not polished and state of the art places.  As a matter of fact, they looked like holes in the wall on the outside.  However through the efforts of Joanne and her friends, they are in existence and they are amazing and magnificent places to learn history.  As hard as today was, I am so happy and lucky that I was able to be a part of it.  She challenged us to take what we learned today as we leave.  And boy do I have plans. . .

what an experience.  what a lady.  what a movement.

Edmund Pettus Bridge

We walked across the bridge, but I took this picture as we were driving across.  It was moving to think that in 1965 people were risking their lives as they walked across this bridge.  The Alabama River underneath it is beautiful.  It's hard to believe that so many people of all ages were beaten and brutalized when they tried to walk across it.

Brown Chapel AME in Selma

This picture was taken outside of Brown Chapel AME church in Selma where the marchers convened on March 7, 1965 before attempting to walk over the Edmund Pettus bridge towards Montgomery.  Our tour guide was a part of that march when she was 11 years old.  She recalled the events.  She had her opinion about a lot of things.  One of the things that she didn't like about this particular monument is the words, "I HAD A DREAM"  She believes (along with the rest of us) that it should say, "I HAVE A DREAM" because the dream is still alive today.  More about her and our tour of Selma in other posts/pics.

George W. Carver's grave

So the way this posting from my iPhone works is that I have to send the pictures over in separate posts. . .which means that I have all these posts and we are only on the second day of the trip.  Four more days to go.  

I've already written a bit about how we started our day.  A little more about the day.  We ate brunch in Atlanta at the Thumbs Up cafe.  Yummy.  My waffle had an imprint of a thumb on it.  Afterwards, many of us went into the little shop next store to purchase dessert.  There were homemade sweet potato pies, pecan pies, key lime cake. . .well, I had a homemade brownie and it was delicious.

If you are reading this blog then you probably  aren't at all interested about what I ate. . .but it was so good I had to write about it.  We left Atlanta headed for Alabama where we will spend the next 3 days.  On the way to Selma, where we are now, we stopped in Tuskegee.  There we spent some time at the Tuskegee Air Field.  There is a picture of some of the Airmen in an earlier post.  The historic site needs quite a bit of work and I will be excited to return to it when some work is done.  Right now it's pretty much just a trailer with some posters and a 15 minute movie.  When you go outside you can see the air field and the brick buildings which were built by students from Tuskegee Institute.

I learned the most today about Tuskegee and the roots of the school and Booker T. Washington.  Booker T. wanted the students/black people/Alabamans. . .to be self-sufficient so many of the buildings on the campus of Tuskegee University were built by the students.  At the university we spent a great deal of time at the George Washington Carver museum.  GWC is now definitely one of my heroes.  As some of you might know, when I was about 8 or 9 doing my first teaching job with the kids next door (Marylena and Bumpy) I wrote a song about George Washington Carver to teach to them.

The lyrics were:  

George Washington Carver was a Black man

He was wizard of Tuskegee

But most of all he was a peanut user

He used it for shampoo (shampoooo)

and shaving cream (shaving creaaaaam)

and peanut butter (peanut butter. . .everything. . .)

Don't laugh.  I was only 8!  However, what I learned today is that my passion for teaching was also GWC's passion.  He really loved his work.  He loved learning and painting and growing things and teaching his students experientially.  Just like me :)  

We watched a couple of movies about Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver before walking around campus a bit.  (Pictures posted of the Chapel on campus and the grave sites of Washington and Carver).  One of my favorite facts about GWC was that his middle name was not Washington.  He started using a W for his middle initial because he didn't have one.  HE never used Washington.  When someone would say, "Does that W stand for Washington?"  He would respond with something like, "Well, it could!"  I thought that was neat since I have kind of done the same thing and created a middle name for myself. :)

On the way to Selma we watched some of Eyes on the Prize, the part about Bloody Sunday.  We finished the clip right as we were crossing the Edmund Pettus bridge.  Of course I missed the bridge because watching the movie clip had made me a little carsick and I had my eyes closed.  Never fear though, we are going back tomorrow!  The clip from the movie was quite moving.  I had a hard time watching what people went through. . .beatings, being ridiculed, spit on. . .for rights that we take for granted.  And at that moment all I could think about were young black men and women who just don't understand and appreciate the struggles that our ancestors went through for us.  And I also thought how proud those people on that bridge would be right now of Barack Obama. 

Selma is sad.  It reminds me a bit of Dunn, NC.  There is a SuperWalMart, of course, and a mall (which is smaller than the Reidsville Mall believe it or not.)  But it is just sad.  The buildings are crumbling and it just looks like nobody lives here.  No landscaping or welcome signs.  It's just here.  The only place for us to eat was a Chinese buffet in a pink building that had a sign on each table saying if you got too much food and did not eat it they would charge a 35% surcharge.  They also had a Winn Dixie and a Central Park. . .two businesses that I thought were now non-existent. . .maybe Selma's Winn Dixie and Central Park didn't get the memo.  It felt like we stepped back in time 20 years when we arrived.  

When we returned from dinner we had an enlightening debriefing session where we shared stories about issues of discomfort around race issues.  I really enjoyed the conversation.  I really enjoyed the day.  It's hard to believe that it's only been two days.  We've done so much.  This is such a cool experience.  And there's so much more to go.  

Stay tuned. . .

~tgw

Chapel at Tuskegee

Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee

Tuskegee Airmen

mlk tomb

Church at Ebenezer this AM. This picture is not of the church that we
went to. They have built a new church across the street. We heard a
wonderful message and a great choir. They sang one of my favorite
songs, Total Praise. Get this the church mission is: Ebenezer Baptist
Church is an urban-based, global ministry dedicated to individual
growth and social transformation through living in the message and
carrying out the mission of Jesus Christ. There's that word -
transformation- again.

Graves Hall

This is Graves Hall on the campus of Morehouse College.  MLK stayed in this dorm, we think, but no one is sure which room he lived in.  According to Owen, one of our leaders and Morehouse Alum. . .it was room 205--his room.

I wanted to include this picture because it is called Graves Hall and since we're making up stories, I'd like to say that this building is named for my family since my mom's maiden name is Graves :)

Morehouse College

MLK Historic Site

The beginning of our journey.

Getting started on our adventure. We boarded the bus at Durham Academy this morning heading towards Atlanta where we will tour Morehouse College, the King Center.  This will be my third visit to the King Center in less than a year but I'm still excited because there is so much to learn there. This morning we briefly introduced ourselves and the bus driver asked if someone would lead us in prayer. I guess God raised my hand because the next thing I knew I was at the front of the bus on a microphone praying a short prayer that asked God for safety and transformation. Transformation.
There's that word again. That's truly what this summer has been about for me and here is another adventure to add to the list of transformative events that have happened to me in Summer '08.

Now I'm going to try and post this on my blog from my iPhone which is what my mac genius and I worked on this week. Here we go!!!

Later. . .

Now I am in my hotel room editing my post from earlier today.  I could just wait and do the posting when we are in the hotel at night, but there is something that I like about doing it from the road that makes it more like a real "travel blog" to me.  I also need to get some rest tonight.  We had a very full day today and tomorrow will be even moreso.  We start with a 7:45 church service at Ebenezer Baptist Church where MLK preached.  His sister still attends the church.  The church has been rebuilt, but to be in the place. . .I'm over the moon about it.  

I am enjoying getting to know the teachers from the other schools.  There is one other from CFS and about a couple from St. Mary's in Raleigh and the rest are from DA.  Everyone seems very nice and geniunely excited and happy to be on this adventure.  I have shared with some that I would be creating this blog.  I plan to share with more since I will be using their pictures on the internet, I want to make sure that it is okay.  

What I am most excited about this trip is the opportunity to experience these sights with adults.  To talk about them.  To understand that the past is not really the past.  One of the leaders on the bus today referred to a quote that Obama used in a speech recently which he borrowed from Faulkner (I think).  The quote says something about the past not really being the past, but part of the present.  Our leader asked us to think about that as we experience this trip. 

When I am a little more rested I'll write more about Morehouse and the special King exhibit that we saw today.  But right now, rest is necessary.

Note:  When I send the posts from my iPhone, the spacing will be funky, but the content is there so enjoy!  I will come and edit as necessary when I have access to my computer and wi-fi.

Another Adventure

So I went to the mac store tonight. It's one of my favorite places, especially now that I have signed up for 1-on-1 tutoring for 1 hour a week for a year! I had my first session tonight. We spent a lot of time talking about the best way for me to create a blog on the road when I don't know how often I will have internet access. What I found out that I could do is. . .I can send pictures and text (though, the text part is a bit more complicated) to my blog and create posts when I am on the road with my new iPhone! How cool! It's the best thing I ever bought!

So here it is. I am about to embark on my next big adventure. On Saturday AM at 8 I meet several teachers from local independent schools where we will board a bus for 6 days. Our stops include: Morehouse College, church service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Edmund Petus bridge, the George Washington Carver Museum, and the Lorraine motel, just to name a few. I plan to document my trip via this blog and through video.

Follow along with me if you wish.

Looking forward to writing all about this amazing adventure that fills me in so many ways. I can't wait to see just how much.

~t