Day 2

June 12th, 2012

Tough, demanding, distressing, disheartening.

I have enjoyed self studying economics—until today.  My ignorance made me sick; how could I have been so blind to how economics can create such disparity between peoples?  Choices out of necessity by mothers and fathers, choices by farmers, choices by corporations.  Choices.  It appears to be so simple, but is complicated.  Each choice has an effect, each effect can  create the choice of a response.  Many policies, common law and psychological coercion coupled with the collapse of southern agriculture, migration from the south, as well as business decisions by outside corporations, to name a few, created choice making that may not have been a free will choice.  Self preservation for economic reasons.

God has given each one of us a purpose in this life.    Is our God given purpose to cut one another down?  That’s not my God who I serve.

End of Day 1-

June 12th, 2012

End of Day 1-History is based upon what one experiences and is taught. What I learned today are things I have not experienced, nor I was taught in school. The cumulative effect of systemic policies have affected our nation for hundreds of years, and in our journey there is much to undo. Our journey continues in order to effect what is not only moral, but to effect succeeding generations.

Civil Rights Tour 2012 – Day 3

June 12th, 2012

Civil Rights Tour Blog 2012 for Day 3:

Our first stop for today was the Civil Rights Museum of Albany, Georgia. This museum has examples of more degradation and humiliation such as actual doors, water fountains, and jute boxes that are designated for “whites” and “blacks”. It has a stunning array of examples including part of the burned bus from the “Freedom Rides”.
The highlight for today was our meeting with Rutha Harris, who is an original “Freedom Singer”. We were blessed to have Rutha visit the Messiah Campus in January of this year to celebrate MLK Day. She is living history from the Civil Rights Era. We sang freedom songs, marched around the church with placards, joined hands (right over left!) and sang “We shall Overcome”. She is just astonishing! She is 71 years old, looks great, has amazing energy, and loves to give. You get the feeling that she imparts some of her energy to you to keep the fight going no matter what the cause. Her opening song was “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” from freedom. She was crying at the end of it. When she belts out a song you can feel it vibrate in the rafters. Her enduring message is one of hope and keep fighting. She said “do not feel sorry for me”. She is a Hero not a victim!!
The next exciting stop for us was the Tuskeegee Air Museum. This was the training headquarters for the “Red Tail” division of the US Airf Force consisting of all black men. They had an astonishing record during World War II shooting down German bombers and supporting our American Bomber planes. They flew over North Africa, Italy, and Europe. What an amazing group of people including two women pilots!! Eleanor Roosevelt told one of the women pilots that she always wanted to fly .

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!

Day 2: Atlanta

June 12th, 2012

Yesterday was a day I will never forget. We had the honor to hear Juanita Albernathy, the wife of the late Ralph Abernathy speak for 2 hours. For those that don’t know, Ralph Albernathy and Dr. Martin Luther King jr were best friends. So Mrs. Abernathy had a first hand account of EVERYTHING that went on during the Civil Rights movement. Shesaid she was at every march and demonstration and when Dr. king had strategy meetings they usually took place at her house. In fact she said Dr. King usually asked her advice before making any decisions. She made him seem so real and so human as she simply called him ‘Martin’. Her kids were there and they referred to him as ‘Uncle Martin’. Mrs. Abernathy was a pioneer for the Civil Rights movement and shared with us the huge impact that women had during the movement. She had a lot of fire and a lot of pride. This women was sharp! But as I heard her speak I had chills in my body and my heart was pounding. I realized this women was a hero! I honestly feel if it were not for her I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldnt have the education that I have or be able to work in the predominately white institution that I do. She was..is..history. My history..OUR history.

It was also great because she seemed so genuine and sweet and reminded me of my grandmother. As I was listening to her for the first time in my life I thought, “in this moment I know this is a moment that I will never forget.” It will only be a few more years that we will have the chance to hear from the pioneers of the Civil Rights by first hand account. This was so special. I truly don’t have the words to desrcibe my feelings in meeting with her. However, she left us with encouraging words. She said, “the doors are open, you just have to fight to keep them open.” she also said, “You have to fight. I have fought my fight. Stand up for injustice; Blacks, Whites, Asians, everyone. Fight morally.” She was an inspiration and I’m sure I’ll never have this type of opportunity again. I’m so thankful.

Mrs. Abernathy was just part of my day. I also went to the MLK center. There were 2 museums, his church that he pastored, his childhood home and his(and his wife’s) burial site. It was great being able to be in the places that Dr. King lived, worked, worshipped and passed away. Being in the sanctuary that he preached was special. They had sermons of his playing and I tried to take it all in and just embrace it.

This was one of the best days of my life. I truly was able to have a great idea of where I came from and encouraging for my future. I have to continue to do the right things so that the fight these people went through does not go in vain. We still have a long way to go but I do believe if we keep pressing forward, “We Shall Overcome Someday.”

God Bless

Albany

June 11th, 2012

Our day began at the Albany Civil Rights Institute. The lobby there is set up to bring represent a pre-civil rights bus station. There are two doors one of which is marked “whites only” the other “colored only”. There is a five year old girl traveling with our group. In an effort to provide us with a teaching moment, the man asked the girl to try to go through the whites only door. When she placed her hand on the door he rebuked her. This was done to demonstrate what would have happened prior to integration of the bus station. The young lady’s lip began to quiver.As a few tears streamed down her cheeks, he tried to explain and console her somewhat, but the bell had been rung. Seeing her reaction made it a bit too real. Part of the purpose of the segregation laws wasn’t just to keep people apart. It was, by design, a system meant to keep one race down. A poignant object lesson.

The next portion of our visit there involved meeting Ms. Rutha Harris. She was one of the original Freedom Singers. She is a 71 year old woman seemingly unaffected by age. Neither her face nor her voice were diminished by her years. Her voice could falter the walls of Jericho. They helped fell the wall of segregation. When she sang it physically seemed to cause my entire body to reverberate, but not in a way that made the music seemed too loud for my ears. We had been told how important music was to the Civil Rights Movement. It was not difficult to understand how these songs, especially when sung by such people of faith, could buoy the spirit, provide courage, and both mask and diminish fear.

Her music fed my soul. Tonight our first tatse of soul food…

A Day with Martin Luther King Jr and Juanita Abernathy

June 11th, 2012

Yesterday was a day with some very “weighty” images for me. Viewing the KKK robe and the many images of so many terrible acts committed by people who looked like me. And knowing so many of those people were self proclaimed “God fearing Christians”. The acts committed against others simply because they didn’t look like the perpetrator. Beatings. Lynchings. Overt acts of a systemic hatred. The weight of those images was somewhat disorienting. The vertigo those images caused left me with an awkward questioning. “What is my role? What is my responsibility?”… Today seemed to reinstill a sense of balance. There were reminders everywhere. In a video, President Johnson”…it’s really all of us who must overcome the legacy of bigotry and injustice.”

And then came Mrs Juanita Abernathy. There are things we would all recite as facts of our heads, but Mrs. Abernathy restored them in my heart. She spoke as a fiesty grandmother that was a staunch contrast to her true role as a “civil rights foot soldier”. This was a woman who put her family on the front lines of the movement. She spoke distinctly of the role of women in The Civil Rights Movement. She wove a thread that in a way sewed me into the story. She reminded me that no matter our role, we are all tied together. “We are all responsible for the injustice around us. Each one reach one”. Her personal stories provoked both laughter and tears. It provided us with insight into the people that were at the front of the movement peeling away some of the notoriety that makes them larger than life. These were real, regular people making very courageous decisions, but real people just the same. Being reminded of that helped remind me that the actions of each regular person matter, including this one.

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.

Day 1: Greensboro, NC

June 10th, 2012

What a day!  We boarded a bus in Beaver Falls, Pa and ventured down to Greensboro, NC.  First we went to North Carolina A&T State University than to The International Civil Rights Center & Museum.  This day was full of so many emotions: excitement, anger, frustration, sadness, honored, proud & hopeful.  These are the type of emotions that I expected but my body was overwhelmed at times with how I felt.

The day centered around 4 men. Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr & David Richmond.  These men or better young men were teenage freshmen at NC A&T when they decided in 1960 to start a sit in at Woolworths 5 & dime.  Little did they know that their sit in on February 1, 1960 would change our nation and help stop segregation.  I won’t give you all the details but I encourage you to learn about their story.  Here is a link about their story  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensboro_sit-ins

I can’t get over the courage of 18 year olds to challenge Jim Crow & the segregated south to take a stand for what they knew was right.  I have to admit that at 18 I would not have done what they did.  They knew they were taking a chance at getting beat, mocked, jailed or killed but it didn’t stop them.  I praise them for their peaceful protest.  I praise them for their peristence as well as the others that joined the movement.  For 6 months they sat, took the abuse & hatred until they were allowed to eat at the counters like the paying white customers.  It is because of these men(along with many others) that I have the rights that I do.  That I can be on a trip with people of many races, & eat wherever I feel like when I walk into a resturant.

I also think how 4 boys with 1 idea, 1 vision and 1 goal changed our entire country.  It is encouraging to me that you never know how much of an impact you can make until you try.  These boys were doing something for themselves that in turn has helped millions of others.  This should be encouraging to us all to fight for what we believe and never think that you can’t make an impact.

As we went through the museum we also saw pictures and films of blacks being hosed down by firement, beat by police officers, lynched by angry whites, abused and killed by the KKK.  I struggled when I saw a suit of the KKK along with the mask hanging up.  Ugliness…

At the end of the day I am proud and encouraged.

I’m ready for day 2 and Atlanta!

God Bless

The bus

June 9th, 2012

We just left from Beaver Falls, Pa and are heading to Greensboro, NC. My mind is already in civil rights mode. I say that because as I board the bus the only seats available were at the very back of the bus. For a moment I sat there and thought, what was it like 50 years ago when I would have ‘had’ to sit on the back of the bus? It made for some interesting thoughts that went through my mind. It’s just the morning, I’m ready for afternoon, the south and the journey. Lord be with us.

God Bless