Even Today

/After a few photo-ops at King’s home and church today, we visited Montgomery, AL’s Southern Poverty Law Center. The Center was instrumental in fighting law cases in the 1970s and currently continues to fight civil rights cases related to discrimination of race, sexuality, gender, and more. They also actively work against hate groups present today.

/I’m not positive of the group’s reputation but regardless, I was taken aback as we were entering the museum. We were asked to go through security before entering. Our tour guide gave examples of a KKK protest march outside their offices as recently as 2001 and then attempted bombings as recently as 2009.

/While the crux of the Movement took place in the 1950s and 60s, we have been told, on multiple occasions, that the Movement is still taking place. I find this to be absolutely true. But my thought process was that racism and uncivil actions took a different form 50 years later. While this is certainly the case to an extent, it was startling to find that explicit and violent attack tactics are still being employed today. This morning’s tour serves as a tangible reminder that we still have a long way to go on multiple levels.