Day 1: Saturday, June 13 (by Jonathan Bert)

After a long bus ride from Beaver Falls, Pa. to Greensboro, N.C., we had the opportunity to tour the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. After reading about the sit-ins in Greensboro, it was powerful to be able to stand in the Woolworth’s building where history was made. I found myself getting extremely emotional right from the start of the guided tour as we entered “The Hall of Shame” and saw photographs of the extreme brutality that resulted from the senseless hatred that existed a mere half-century ago. This is truly humanity at its very worse. Images of men hanging from trees, of burnt corpses bound to wooden crosses, of people who were beaten and killed for no other reason than the color of their skin. I am crying even as I type this and visualize the exhibits once more.

It is important to see these things. It is important to try to comprehend the injustice. I say “try” because I am fully aware that I could never fully understand the struggle. I am fully aware that as a white male, I live a life of deep privilege. As a white male, it is quite easy to feel a sense of guilt for what was done. However, guilt does not lead to progress. Instead, what I will take away is an understanding of the courage and sacrifice it took for black men and women to stand up for what is right in order to bring about change. It is the way that they fought injustice that is most admirable and remarkable: civil disobedience with a commitment to non-violence. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Hate begets hate; violence begets violence.” The key leaders of the civil rights movement preached a message of love. The biblical mandate to “love thine enemies” became a daily exercise of faith for these activists and protesters. I have never been faced with such a trial. Even though I identify as a pacifist and remain strongly opposed to violence, I can’t help but wonder if I would have had the strength to maintain that commitment under such extreme conditions.

I know that this trip will bring even more emotions and more questions as we go on. I’m sure, though, that it will also bring more understanding and more hope. Standing by the very lunch counter where those four young men sat gave me chills. It was not the goosebumps that come with fear, but the goosebumps that come with great awe and reverence. I left the museum with mixed emotions and I suspect that will become a common occurrence this week.

We are currently on our way to Greenville, S.C. for the night. Tomorrow we will travel to Atlanta. Our group appreciates your prayers not only as we travel, but also for the processing that we must do along the way.

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