Greetings from Montgomery, Alabama! It is hard to believe that this is only the third day of the trip, given all that we have seen and experienced. I am incredibly blessed to have this opportunity and I am being challenged and inspired in such meaningful ways.
My colleagues on the trip have done an excellent job sharing on this blog what we have seen and experienced so far. In some ways trying to take in all of this is like “trying to take a sip of water from a fire hydrant” and anything I would try to say about the experience would not do it the proper justice. But there have been things that I have been consistently reflecting on – one of which is the power of the stories that we are hearing. The resiliency and perseverance of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement is nothing less than inspiring. The dependence on God, the community of believers and activists, and the importance of inspiration from Scripture and music have been highlighted by all of the people involved in the movement. And there is still so much more to learn.
Another thing that I am deeply contemplating is that in all of the stories that I am hearing on this trip, folks that looked like me were the antagonists. There are stories of some white advocates in the movement, but those were exceptions. The severe injustice, violence and hatred experienced by African-Americans was repeatedly enacted by white people. This is a sad, shameful history. And it is a very long history. I recognize there have been significant strides towards equality and equity; however, I do not want to ignore the realities of the not-so-distant-past, nor disregard how it is still happening today. I do believe that history will repeat itself – unless we stop to consider the experiences, the wisdom, the triumphs and the mistakes of the past. I am humbled to have the chance to listen and learn about this monumental era of our nation’s history, to explore how it continues to impact us today, and to consider how God might be calling us to keep working “until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” [words paraphrased by Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Book of Acts]. Thanks for reading…Meg
