National

Today we started the day off with at the National Civil Rights Museum in downtown Memphis. We were welcomed by a very busy street in front of the museum due to a Book fair being held for children with the guest reader, Ruby Bridges. As we entered the museum we began learning about the underground rail road and the many struggles the slaves faced during the era before the end of slavery. We then were shown a movie that introduced us to the civil rights movement. As we continued on in the museum participants felt as we were walking literally through history due to the vivid displays and videos. The museum started at the early stages of the civil rights then ending with the death of Martin Luther King Jr. It was also very interesting and very impactful to be in the same place where MLK died. I felt very honored to have been able to be in the space of a monumental leader of the Civil Rights. As everyone ended the museum we all gathered to eat lunch and was very fortunate to see and hear Ruby Bridges one of six girls that went to a white school even though many have resistance the desecration of schools. At the Book Fair she read to many children her book which was about her part in the Civil Rights Movement. It was amazing to be in the presence of an individual was very bid apart of the civil rights movement and hear her read to the young children of America . After the conclusion of the book fair as a group we were able to explore downtown by seeing the Mississippi River and walking down the famous Beadle Street. It was breathtaking to see and to be immersed in the southern culture first hand. After a little exploration we went to the Mason Temple in hopes of seeing where MLK  presented his last speech and hopefully being able to hear it as well. When we arrived, we were very lucky to have been able to enter the church as it was usually closed on a Saturday. While inside we were able to stand on the very podium MLK spoke. We also had a chance to listen to his speech while actually being at the church. Hearing that speech while being at the very space he did speak it was so powerful. Sitting in the seat and hearing MLK’s voice echoing in that space was so compelling. His voice filled our minds with so much inspiration of the power we have to changed the world around us for the better. After visiting the temple we had the opportunity to explore downtown more as the streets were filled with people  and be able to eat good southern barbecue in downtown Memphis.

Its an early Thursday morning, as everyone in the house bustles around, cleaning up the place we called home for 8 days straight. The community that so willingly housed and cared for us was soon to be disappearing in our rear-view mirror, and we couldn’t thank them enough. So on our last morning in Alabama, we gave a tearful goodbye to all 50 Mother Mary and Baby Jesus portraits (and statues) that covered the walls of Resurrection Missionary, we were ready to part ways.

Prior to leaving, we established a lottery system to determine who would be riding in each car (in order to shake things up), for our 6 hour car ride. There are 3 cars on this journey, with Immersion Leaders Linda, Erika, and Lindie as the certified drivers. After having an opportunity to reconvene, it became clear that every car ride had their own unique 6 hour experience…

These are their stories:

Lindie’s Car:

One of our members (and the only male on the entire trip), Connor Burke, was the certified DJ. The summary of this trip involved an entire Ice Ice Baby Rap, a podcast that lasted for roughly 15 minutes before members of the car became abruptly “unengaged”, and the unreliable DJ (Connor) fell asleep with phone in hand, placing the entire car in IPod-shuffle purgatory.

Linda’s Car:

In this car, dancing and massive amounts of snacking ensued for the majority of the trip. However, similar to the incident that occurred in Lindie’s car, an incedent occurred in which all members of the car (aside from Linda) had fallen asleep. Not only were members of this car breaking the golden rule of “thou shalt not leave the driver hangin’ by falling asleep”, Linda was left to listen to the same Beyonce CD 2.5 times until the first sign of conscious life became present from the rest of the car.

Erika’s Car:

This car has been reported to be relatively tame, with engaging and enriching conversation with fruitful thought and consideration. We can all learn a little something from Erika’s car.

6 hours and several interesting gas stations later, we find ourselves in Tennessee. Stay tuned for more fun and learning from the South!

Hey y’all!

When I told my older sister that I went to Tuskegee today, she asked,

“Is that where Snuffaluffagus is from?”

No, I informed her, at least not to my knowledge (who knows really? Snuffaluffagi are mysterious creatures.) Tuskegee is home to the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all African American infantry of fighter pilots who flew in WWII; and Tuskegee Institute, the university Booker T. Washington raised and where George Washington Carver taught for a large portion of his life.

Tuskegee is home to men who pushed the boundaries of what was possible for the black community through training and education and determination. They didn’t eradicate the walls, but they dented them, they made a difference in the world for the better, and that is why we remember them.

We started the day at the Tuskegee airfield where the Airmen trained–we watched a wonderfully made video that taught us the Airmen’s history, the meanings of the names “Redtails”(they painted the tails of their planes red) and the challenges they faced both at home with Jim Crow laws, and abroad with WWII. I had never heard of these men before today, at least not that I remember. Maybe they were mentioned in a history class, maybe I skimmed past them in a textbook–but I’d never learned about them like this, as in-your face and epic as the full sized Redtail plane hanging in the museum.

We moved on to Tuskegee Institute, where we toured Booker T. Washington’s house and touched the bricks on the wall, handmade by the students as part of their work-study program and as part of their trade classes. We learned of Booker T. Washington’s devotion to education–strong enough to compel him to walk 500 miles to go to a college that would accept him then working as a janitor to get into the school. While often criticized (especially in comparison to WEB DuBois) for being complacent and accommodating, he was strong and progressive in his own way. His philosophy for the Institute, “we ask for nothing that we can build for ourselves,” helped uplift blacks through education and practical determination. At his core, the conviction, “no man can drag me down so low as to make me hate him.”

Fun Fact: the house, called The Oaks, was built with short steps, short doorknobs, and lowered tables to accommodate Washington’s wife at the time, Margaret Murray Washington, who was 4’11.

Today was a day of learning so much I didn’t know.

Example: I had no idea who George Washington Carver was before today. But now he’s one of my character role models. He was an artist and also made huge strides in agriculture (including hundreds of uses for the peanut and teaching people about crop rotation), was wonderful to people and cared so deeply about him, and always had a fresh flower in his lapel. When asked why he never married, he said “how could I explain to a wife that I have to go out at 4:00 every morning to talk to the flowers?”

Example: from 1932-1972, Tuskegee Institute and what was the CDC at the time performed an extremely unethical study without the subjects’ knowledge or consent. It was called “Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.”

I think that speaks for itself.

It was a hot day, a humid day, a long day walking around in the hot Alabama sun; but given how much I learned, I’d say it was worth it.

That’s all for now, this is Emily, signing off 🙂

 

Hello everyone!

Today we all took a day trip to Selma, Alabama where the March from Selma to Montgomery started.

Starting out in the Visitors Interpretive Center, I soon found myself a group of three other students to walk around the town in before our first museum tour. I walked to the First Baptist Church as well as the Brown Chapel AME Church where many people started the march. I saw the prison where Martin Luther King Jr. was held as well.

When we met back up with the group as a whole, we all walked over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where Bloody Sunday happened. This was one of the attempts of the march where state troopers were waiting for the marchers to cross. The marchers were attacked with tear gas, horses, and beaten with bludgers. As I walked across the bridge, I began to sing to myself a song from the Civil Rights Movement and thought about the people who were beaten and intimidated that day. It was truly a profound experience.

At the end of the bridge was the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute where Sam Walker greeted us and introduced us to the exhibit. He was one of the marchers in the March from Selma to Montgomery and went to jail twice for his participation at the age of eleven. In this museum, they have casts of the footprints of those involved in the March. Some of the footprints are of people who were very young, like Mr. Walker, and some who were older. It was amazing to see the casts of these people surrounded by documentation of black female activists, the participation of various churches, and the insight of influential men during the time of the Civil Rights.

From here, we walked back across the bridge to the Ancient Africa Enslavement and Civil War Museum. Annie Pearl Avery was there to welcome us. The first thing she said to us was we could Google her, and I would suggest this because her story is truly amazing. She was also part of the Selma to Montgomery March and was the only one arrested on Bloody Sunday. This was not her first time in jail though, nor was it her last. She took so much pride in being part of the Civil Rights Movement and standing up for what she believed in.

When we got back to Resurrection Parish, dinner was a hash with potatoes, bacon, and bell peppers. Melissa and I made a few cakes for those of us on the trip whose birthday is in May, which is five people. We celebrated together and had some good laughs before reflection and bed.

I will leave you with a quote I saw in the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute:

“America is not like a blanket – one person of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt – many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread” – Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson

Thats all for now!

-Kimmy

Fellow readers-

Unlike the past five days of our immersion, today was the least jam-packed with things to do and learn about. Instead it was more about experiencing the immediate surroundings of Resurrection Parish, the place we are stationed at in Montgomery, Alabama.

In the morning we were able to attend Sunday mass at Resurrection, which was really neat to notice the differences in how mass is conducted down here versus what we know in the Pacific Northwest. Young children did some interpretive dancing to open up the space for the service, the beautiful gospel choir sang almost the entire time, and at the end Reverend Manuel of the parish brought each of us from the immersion up to the front and thanked us for joining the community in prayer, learning, and celebration.

Afterwards a bunch of us were able to take time and call our maternal figures and wish them a happy mother’s day, and just take a few hours to relax, catch up on rest, snack, and hang out and enjoy each other’s company.

Then we decided to get our bodies moving to do something else in terms of exploring the area around us in Montgomery. We ended up going to Jackson Island about 15 minutes away, where the small town was featured in the movie Big Fish! It was so incredibly cool for those of us who grew up with that movie to see that little strip of abandoned houses and the tree line where children throw their shoes up to hang. But even for those in our group who hadn’t been exposed to the movie, just noticing the differences of the water around the little island, and the ways the long hanging trees swayed all over was a special southern experience that we otherwise might not have been able to have.

Then we returned back to Resurrection and were able to rest more and make dinner- chili and cornbread- and now are waiting to watch a documentary. We’re either going to watch The House I Live In, which tackles our nation’s history of the war on drugs and how it has affected mass incarceration, or 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets, which digs deep into the story of how Jordan Davis, a young black man, was killed by a white man for “playing his car music too loudly.”

Until next time~~

Emma, a proud participant on Civil Rights Immersion

On September 7, 1888, a mob of white men shot and killed seven unknown African Americans at their camp site meeting site near Screamer, Alabama. The lynching was reported as having begun over a white man’s drinking well. A group of African Americans were having camp meetings in the area, and they allegedly stopped at the well to drink some water. Newspaper reports stated that the white man who claimed ownership of the well approached, enraged. He ordered the African Americans not to drink from the well and even shot at one man as he was attempting to drink.

Later that night, the white man who claimed to own the well alleged that some of the African Americans had “threatened” him. A mob of white men formed, went to the African Americans’ camp and killed seven people. According to one news report, the mob “left seven bodies as a reminder to the other members of the camp meeting crowd.” (Equal Justice Initiative, In Remembrance: Lynching in Alabama, The Soil Collection Project)

Today, we packed into our cars and drove two hours down to Screamer, Alabama, a town so small and rural that it feels only like one abrupt, side-of-the-road stop off a long road through dense, sticky trees and hiccups of Baptist churches to the bottom right corner of Alabama.

We arrived at one such Baptist Church, parked, unloaded, put on our sunscreen, and split off– two us took one of seven ample, cool mason glass jar reading “Unknown #[1-7], Screamer, AL, September 7, 1888” and a brand new, bright red shovel. Emily and I took “Unknown #2” and made our way carefully through the thorny trees, initially unsure of which way to go; what was driving us? We paused and looked around. A few yards away, we spotted a small clearing, and then, a strong, cool tree. We squatted under the tree, and I felt nervous for as to what I should say. After a few quite moments, Emily finally spoke and said, “I’m sorry for what happened to you. I hope you find more peace in the afterlife than you had here.” We dug.

I’ve been bewildered by the level of responsibility and care the inspiring leaders here have entrusted to us here. This morning we visited Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery for the second time, and listened to Bryan Stevenson, the founder of EJI and author of the 2014 New York Times Bestseller, Just Mercy, (among other fabulous titles) speak. He talked to us about these mason jars he was entrusting us with to pack full of Alabama soil moist with the sweat from slavery, the blood from broken, black bodies, the tears from the agony of segregation, and the life of hopeful truth and reconciliation.

By collecting soil from the sites of the 363 known lynchings that took place in Alabama, the Equal Justice Initiative hopes to make tangible and visible the often abstract and invisible lives that were taken through these acts of racial terrorism, a term that is new to me, and gives me chills. Bryan talked to us about how our American narrative equally makes invisible what is shameful and uncomfortable. We’ve heard several times now that there are 59 markers for Confederacy in Montgomery while only 3 for slavery and 0, yet, for lynchings.

How do we purport to move out without moving through spaces seeping with the legacy of a heavy history, of shadows that follow us?

We confront, we dig. We remember.

I was talking about time. It’s so hard for me to believe in it. Some things go. Some thing just stay. I used to think it was my rememory. You know. Some things you forget. Others thing you never do. But it’s not. Places, places are still there. If a house burns down, it’s gone, but the place– the picture of it– stays, and not just in my rememory, but out there, in the world… Right in the place where it happened. (Toni Morrison, Beloved)

Ana

Hello everyone!

Day 4 has been another eventful day down south! By this point in the immersion, we have been bonding together as a group through various icebreakers (cue eye rolls from multiple group members) which end up being filled with laughter as we learn more about one other.

The day began with the Civil Rights Memorial Center in downtown Montgomery, which paid tribute to the men and women who gave their lives in the Civil Rights movement, as well as the men and women who have lost their lives due to racial injustice since the ending of the civil rights era. As we took time to circulate the memorial, where images of these individuals were hung around the room, there was silence as we thought of the courageousness of each individual and what this means for us as we take or education of southern culture that is influenced by a history charged with racial injustice, and inform others about the current issues that still plague this country. I think about these people who moved through their fears to do what they believed in the cores of themselves to be right, and remember that they were simply that: people like you and me. People who lived with intention and made conscious choices to change the circumstances they found themselves in, not only for themselves, but for the generations to come. I implore anyone reading this to pause and think about this thought: that all people have the ability to be courageous by living with this intention.

After the Civil Rights Memorial we took a block of time to explore the city center of Montgomery, which acted as a slave trade hub during the civil war era, before moving to the Equal Justice Initiative. We had three speakers who educated us about the death penalty, where the state of Alabama has the 4th largest death row in the country. We also discussed the issues of children being sentenced to life in prison without parole as young as 13 and 14 years old. These issues are revealed to be closely connected to the deeper rooted history of slavery, and the myths created about black people as being dangerous and violent in order to keep them in chains. These ideas, even if they are difficult to notice, survive still within American culture and contribute to the fact that American prisons are disproportionately made up of people of color. This legacy of racial injustice is manifested in the laws and legislation of this country, and in order to combat the effects of these myths and ideals, one must educate themselves and others about the history of America that most would rather forget.

Tomorrow we will participate in a project created by the Equal Justice Initiative, where soil will be collected from various lynching sites in the state and put into a lynching memorial site, bringing attention to the victims of this era who have been forgotten, so that we may move forward by becoming conscious of our history as a nation.

More to come from the Civil Rights Immersion!

Ta ta for now! Hannah Schoen

 

Hello everyone! Melissa here to share a bit about our third day of adventures in downtown Montgomery.

Today was yet another great and powerfully moving experience. We started the day by going to the first, and the only church, that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pastor of: Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church (referred to as Dexter Avenue Church throughout rest of post). The church has a beautiful mural in the basement depicting the Civil Rights Movement timeline. Images of Rosa Parks, The Black Panthers, the Selma Bridge, and children marching for justice filled the wall, signifying the multi-faceted approaches to the same goal of the Civil Rights Movement–unity in finding justice for all. The mural also depicted Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. ascending into heaven, as those who created the mural and attend the church believe that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a saint living among us.

From Dexter Avenue Church, we traveled a few short blocks to the Dexter Parsonage Museum where we had the opportunity to walk through the home that housed the pastors of Dexter Avenue Church, including Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr (here we are walking into the Parsonage). Many of the items within the home are from the time that the King family resided there and this is also the residence where an individual bombed the home during Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s involvement with the Civil Rights Movement. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. is credited with stopping a violent riot from occurring the night of the bombing by telling the angry group of people who had gathered that his family was not hurt, to go silently, and to go home. We learned that in the kitchen of this home Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once contemplated the decision to end his involvement with being a part of the movement because of the threats on himself and his family. However, as we are all well aware, he made the choice that he wanted to continue in his calling towards righteousness, justice, and freedom for all people.

The King-Johns Garden for Reflection, located behind the Parsonage Museum and home, offers a space for peaceful contemplation and recognizes two great leaders and ministers of Dexter Avenue Church–Vernon Johns and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Both of these men believed in direct action that would result in freedom through six common themes–equality, forgiveness, hope, peace, understanding, and unity.

Lastly, we journeyed back towards downtown Montgomery to see the state capitol and the confederate white house. We all reflected later on how it is difficult to process and appreciate the American history that occurred in these two places after visiting the places that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived and preached in. We found it challenging to appreciate and understand what had occurred in these two locations, while simultaneously not agreeing with certain beliefs or point of views that were presented to us. Hiding the confederate history of our country would be denying the truths of the American history. And as we learned last night over dinner, telling truths is an important part in building an honest approach to understanding the background of events that occur within our past history.

As Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “I have decided to stick to love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

Hello everyone! Chelsea here to tell you all about Day 2 of the Civil Rights Immersion.

Yesterday started early after a long day of travel. We woke up congregated in the hotel lobby and had what you would call a typical continental breakfast. We planned our exciting and delicious meals for the week, and are super stoked about the aspect of cooking and proving for ourself as we take on the weeks ahead.

Two of our first stops for the day were a quick drive to downtown Birmingham.

Our first stop for the day was the Civil Rights museum, a beautiful museum that truly brought us into the proper mindset for the next few weeks. We started with a short video on the history of slavery, and moved on to the well crafted, articulate, and thought provoking exhibits. We were able to see that stark reality of what segregated classrooms and downtown cafes were like. We encountered an exhibit that was very simple in presentation, but powerful in the words spoken. One that made us all wonder what words we would have whispered behind our closed walls. Numerous exhibits brought us to the reality of the time period, as well as allowed us to fill in gaps that most of us have already encountered during this trip. After going through this institution, we were all in awe of the lack of education our schooling has given us on these topics.

Following the institute, we walked right across the street to the 16th street Baptist Church. For those of you that are unaware of this location and the effects of this location and the Civil Rights Movement, here is a little bit of background. Basically  this was the pivotal turning point of the movement, this place turned the movement form a thought process to an action plan. The 16th Street Baptist church was bombed, taking out a large part of the church, and killing 4 young innocent girls. The young girls are often referred to as the Angels of the Cause. Monuments, statues, and entire areas of Birmingham are dedicated to these young girls because of their lasting effect on the Civil Rights movement, causing the climax of the situation and allowing people to finally channel their anger to a progressive and inspiring movement, in memory of those lost including the young girls.

We were about to walk through the Birmingham park just across the street form both of these locations, and view statutes, momorials, and various sculptures that helped depict the movement. We drove past the Birmingham Jail where Martin Luther King was held in solitary confinement.

From Birmingham we took a “short” (short relative to our future drives) 2 hour drive to Montgomery Alabama. We are currently staying at Resurrection Catholic Church where we are spending about a week.

We had what I would call the most amazing and awe inspiring dinner with numerous Civil Rights Activists from the time, many of which were active in the Birmingham Bus Boycott (which they ask us to not call a boycott, but rather a movement). All members of the dinner got up and spoke about their time in the movement, the effects that came about, and the situation of the time.

I was fortunate to sit with Professor Charlie Hardy, a business teacher at Alabama State University. He is truly a man of charisma and wisdom, just as the various other speakers were. We were all able to set as a small group with various speakers, leaders of the movement, and men and women that were there for it all and thrilled to share their individual stories. Its safe to say that we all were more than stoked to have this experience and love where we were at got us in the right mindset not only as individuals, but as a group as well. Memories were made that night that will last a true lifetime. As well as I believe bonds and friendships with these activist that I hope will continue on past this trip.

In the words spoken by our amazing 16th Street tour guide I send with this; “Do not forget, what men do for evil, God does for good.”

And with that I say; Goodbye until tomorrow.