Silence

June 5th, 2019

“In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” MLK

Have you wondered how neighbors could turn their Jewish friends away when they needed a place to hide, or how high school teenagers could look on when their classmates terrorized the Little Rock Nine? Sadly, oppression and injustice are all still all around us. What are we doing now?

This trip has been impactful not for the museums, but to hear stories from those who lived it, and to process it with those traveling with me.

These past 2 days, we had the honor of hearing stories from 4 amazing women. Rutha Harris (original Freedom Singer), Eartha Watkins (current Freedom Singer), Minnijean Brown Trickey (member of the Little Rock Nine), and Lynda Lowery (at age 15, the youngest to march from Selma to Montgomery for the right to vote). Their stories show how children and women can do great things. Even today, they all continue to act rather than being silent.

Minnijean talked about 3 groups of students at Little Rock. The 200 that verbally, physically, and emotionally abused her daily for months, the 20 that were kind, and the 900+ that were silent. Not acting is choosing a side.

All the women challenged us not to be silent. Just take a step and act.

Jackie


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