Day 1: Courageous Persistence
Day 1: Courageous Persistence
The visit to the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, NC, provided a visual experience of the 4 young men who said “enough is enough” and began the sit-in at the Woolworth Lunch Counter. The original floor, counters, stools and pricing for menu items was restored and a muti-media presentation in multiple window sections behind the counters depicted how things unfolded and let you enter into the experience. The courage, dignity and discipline to protest peacefully, despite hate-filled taunts, physical shoving and disrespect inspired others to join them. Persistence by these four show the power of a few who are willing to step out and peacefully demand that they be seen, served, and treated equally and with dignity.
Day 2: Walk the Talk
Watching a documentary on MLK on the bus, I learned new details of his life and how he not only inspired others by his preaching and non-violent protests, but he lived out what he preached in so many different ways. He moved into an apartment without heat in Chicago to live among those he wanted to help with housing. When people in the neighborhood realized it was really Dr. Martin Luther King living among them, he won them over with his actions and life. And he chose not to see others as enemies – he responded to one woman who was hateful toward him with “You’re too beautiful to be so mean” and she later came back and apologized. His love had the power to defuse hatred and bestow dignity.
A highlight was meeting Charles Person, a Freedom Rider on one of the two buses leaving Washington D.C. in 1961 headed for New Orleans. What a privilege to hear the first-hand account of his resolve to continue the trip despite the horrific verbal and physical abuse he endured from the hands of hate filled individuals and mobs. He recounted how he had a little book that he kept in his breast pocket to record important events of the journey, and people who had provided a place to stay and a meal to eat, and who he wanted to thank later. He regrets losing his coat and never being able to thank these “lesser-known heroes” but will always remember their kindness. His story inspires and empowers others to not be silent and to continue the fight for justice and dignity for all.
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