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Day one — International Civil Rights Center and Museum
June 10th, 2012
Out of our group we have at least one resident”philosopher”. I am not that person. The vast majority of my experiences with racism and segregation, however have been philosophical. Real and improtant conversations, but the issues were always at a distance from my reality. By contrast, most of what I do for my work is, quite literally palpable. As a physical therapist and athletic trainer dealing with orthopedics, I am often, again literally, up to my elbows in my work (ask any athlete with a chronic hamstring injury who has had me work out scar tissue with my elbow). I spend my day palpating or feeling for subtle deformities which will offer clues as to the nature and severity of an injury. I daily objectly assess the quality and quantity of motion, strength and integrity at an injured joint. Things very real, in front of me. Palpable.
In preparation for this trip, I did a good deal of reading. Many of these books stirred strong thoughts and emotions. Seeing videos of those involved telling their stories gave those stirrings further life. But there was something deeper still about standing at the Woolworth counter where such a significant event occured that brings an undeniable emotional realism for me. There is something “palpable” about being here. There is something different about standing in the very place where those four college freshmen stood. The simple act of sitting at a counter and asking to be served put them in harm’s way. The danger and the possible consequences were a proximate reality for them. The exhibits including the KKK hood, the pictures and sounds that depict the lynchings and use of fire hoses on children make their experience palpable for me.
