Day 4: What Kind of World Do You Want To Live In?

Today Ms. Joanne Blackmon Bland asked us to confront and ponder this question. In 1965, she and her sister, Ms. Lynda Blackmon Lowry marched from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama for the right to vote. They were teenagers. In fact, at the age of 14, Ms. Lynda was the youngest to march.

The Blackmon sisters spoke of the violence and trauma of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. Police officers brutally beat protestors with nightsticks and fired tear gas on them. Marchers were severely wounded, and many suffered permanent physical and psychological scars for the rest of their lives. Ms. Lynda was beaten so badly that she required 7 stitches above her right eye and 28 stitches on the back of her head.

While listening to the stories of their experiences of police brutality, it was overwhelming thinking about the trauma that these strong and resilient women endured so early in their lives. The larger history of the U.S. also illuminates the trauma experienced by black enslaved people and black Americans that continues to this day.

Today we walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge where some of these atrocities took place. It was deeply moving walking on this same ground. Considering Ms. Joanne’s question, our world is not that different from just 56 years ago. There is so much work yet to be done towards human rights for all who live in the U.S. and I want to live in a world where everyone’s humanity is recognized and respected.

Sarah P. Myers

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