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.