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Civil Rights Tour 2012
June 12th, 2012
Civil Rights Tour 2012 Blog:
2nd day of our tour:
Our bus broke down on the way to Albany, Georgia yesterday afternoon. Luckily, our driver was very creative and was able to fix the bus!!! He climbed beneath the bus to repair some belts amid a driving rain storm – what a hero!
I cannot imagine the fear that would clutch your heart when a church was bombed and four little girls in the basement of the church were killed in Birmingham, Ala. Three Civil Rights workers were killed in Mississippi, and people with scary hoods (KKK people) ran around intimidating as many people as possible throughout the South. The turbulence and violence was beyond belief. How were the people who were victims able to find peace and love in their lives? The church was their only refuge and now it was bombed and desecrated.
In our chat with Mrs. Juanita Abernathy, who told us about her own personal experience with her home being bombed, you learned that strength and a belief in God got them through this terrible time in their lives. Her will to survive and make a great life for her children was strong. She attributes much of the success of her life and the Civil Rights movement to the strength and enduring nature of women. She is a great inspiration and example for young women today by allowing the love of the Lord to shine through her life and help others no matter what the cause.
The road to the dream of equal rights was realized when President Johnson signed the “Right to Vote” Act and declared “we shall overcome”. What a victory!
We learned about the life and death of Dr. Martin Luther King who was a shining light for the Civil Rights movement from the mid 1950’s through the 1960’s until his death in April 1968. The Kings has a sleep-over with the Abernathys on the Friday before MLK’s death. Mrs. Abernathy thought he might have realized his death was near since he seemed depressed and could not sleep the entire night. The movement was about helping others and love for others, thereby helping yourself. What a great legacy!