Another action packed day to report. This morning we woke up in Selma, Alabama
after being able to sleep in and catch up on some zzz’s! We hopped on the bus and drove a short distance
to the Slavery Museum where we met up with Sam, our local guide. Sam led our group on a very emotional
simulation, in which the students were guided through the museum involving the
slave trade and an auction. The kids
were talking about the experience long after we boarded the bus again.
From there, we went to the National Voting Rights Museum and
learned about the “foot soldiers,” or those who chose to walk on the marches
organized in Selma. Sam shared with us
his story of being 11 years old at the time and being one of the children
arrested and held overnight in jail. As
we walked through the museum, we read the inspiring words of marchers and
talked about the overarching message of hope and peace of the nonviolent
approach. Sam reiterated that
nonviolence was not a passive role, but instead needed courage and a strong
belief in the cause to carry the message forward. As Sam said, “This wasn’t a black
movement. It wasn’t a white
movement. It was an American movement.”
We then had a chance to take a group picture in front of the
Brown Chapel AMC Church, just a few blocks from the museum, where John Lewis
rallied 600 individuals on the Selma to Montgomery march. Then, we marched, too.
We walked in the same footsteps as the protesters had,
beginning their journey by crossing the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge. On March 7th. 1965, a day which would become infamously known as
“Bloody Sunday,” the marchers were stopped by Gov. Wallace’s orders and were
beaten by police. A day later, another
march was organized and this time led by Martin Luther King, Jr. That march too, was halted. Finally, the third march, March 16th,
protected by members of the Alabama National Guard, was successful and led to
the eventual passage of the Voting Rights Act.
After lunch, we began our drive to Montgomery and met with
Mr. Jake Jones, another local guide and historian. He took us to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial
Baptist Church. The original church was
completed in 1889 and would be the place where then 24-year old Seminarian,
Martin Luther King, Jr. would begin his ministry. We also learned that this was the place where
the bus boycotts in 1956 began, organized by the Montgomery Improvement
Association.
We closed out the day with a great after-hours tour of the
Capitol Building and saw the room where Alabama decided to vote in favor of
secession from the Union. Finally,
dinner was a real treat with Southern soul food from Martin’s Restaurant. Collard greens, fried chicken, fried green
tomatoes… you name it!
So… with our bellies full and our minds full, we’re closing
out the night in Montgomery and will be up at 7AM to head to Tuskegee!
Goodnight, Wellesley!
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