Morning had us up early, saying goodbye to our friends in Tuscaloosa,
because it was now time to head further south. We started off in the rain and
drove most of the way, about two hours, to Montgomery in the rain.
Our time in Montgomery was a time of contrasts. From our visit to The First Confederate White
House, in which Jefferson Davis and his family lived for 4 months in early 1861,
the Capital of the State of Alabama that marks both the place where Jefferson Davis
was inaugurated and a very large memorial to the Confederacy. These were contrasted with our visit to the
civil Rights Museum sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Dexter
Street Church where Martin Luther King’s first church during the early 1960’s,
The Rosa Park’s Museum, and the Freedom Riders’ Museum.
Outside the civil rights Museum there was a banner that
said, “the March Continues.” The fact
that there were armed guards in front to that museum and we had to go through a
metal detector to go inside indicate that the march really does continue! Clearly one of our themes for our trip is The
Civil War to Civil Rights.
At the confederate White House, we met a volunteer, Henry. He
is a highly dedicated volunteer. He
stated that he was really offended by people who use the Confederate flag as a symbol
for terrorist activities. We saw the
rooms in which the President of the Confederacy lived and rooms in witch
important decisions about the new government were made. We were moved that
there be on display personal items that had been confiscated in the war which
were much later returned, such as the family Bible returned from Ohio, and
Davis’s dictionary which came back from Illinois. It was very clear that people
were proud of their ancestors.
We were surprised that the Alabama Capital building closed
each year for Jefferson Davis’ birthday. We then found the big star on the front portico of the state capitol where Davis was sworn in as President of the Confederate States of America. The final piece about the Confederacy was the large monument to the Confederacy that was positioned next to the Capitol building. We learned later that the 1901 version of the state constitution squarely supported segregation. Seeing these buildings and learning more about what happened in them helped us better understand the vehement reaction that everyone experienced who stood up for the rights of blacks.
The civil Right’s Museum especially focused on the people
who lost their lives taking a stand against the inequities and bad treatment
that African-Americas received during that era especially with the Jim Crow
Laws. In some cases the people who died
were activi4ies, and many others were just at the wrong place at the wrong
time. We saw extensive evidence of what
we saw as domestic terrorism against blacks by groups such as the Klu Klux
Klan, and other less famous groups, trying to intimidate in order to get their
way. We walked into a dark room with a
wall filled with moving names. We were
invited to add our names to the wall as people who were committed to opposing
intolerance wherever we saw it. It was
very moving to see our names added there.
The monument outside was reflective of the MLK quote
"Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.” It was designed by the same person who
designed the Viet am Memorial in DC.
People were invited to dip their hands into the pool, and touch the
raised letters of the major event and names of those killed. We watched until extended families gather
there to take photos, and it was quite a racially and culturally diverse group
of people who gathered there.
Our time didn’t allow us to tour the church where Martin
Luther King had been minister, but it was powerful to see how close this church
was to the capital building; within an easy walking distance. We could imagine leaders of the community
gathering under his leadership.
Next, we went to the Rosa Park’s Museum and Library. We found that it was created and supported by
Troy University, which has a campus in Montgomery. This fairly new museum was built on the site where
Rosa Park’s was removed form the bus and arrested by the Montgomery police
after refusing to give up her seat to a white man. They made powerful use of video and other multi-media
interactive displays to tell the story of what she did and the resulting yearlong
bus boycott.
She was a powerful leader, and there was incredible
cooperation throughout the community, including church leaders, community
leaders, with a significant amount of support coming from whites working
together to help support the black community, including to help organize
alternative transportation and boycotting the buses themselves. Especially moving was video clip of Rosa
Parks being acknowledged by President Bill Clinton in state of the Union Address
on the floor of congress.
After lunch, time for one last stop: The Freedom Rider’s Museum in the old Greyhound
Bus Station. The Freedom riders were an
organized network of primarily young college aged people, both black and white,
who rode buses together throughout the south in order to challenge the practice
of segregated terminals for public transportation. We learned about the police sanctioned
violence against the Freedom Riders that resulted in severe beatings and injury
to many of them. The first was at this Greyhound station in Montgomery. Nearly 450 of them took
these dangerous rides for nearly nine months, often resulting in beatings and
arrest and “hard time” in prison. The resulting publicity and court cases,
turned the tide and bus and train stations were remodeled and the segregated
areas removed. Freedom Riders all were
instructed to write a will before stating out, knowing they could be risking
death.
The way we ended the afternoon was by walking back form the furthest
point back to our car in front of the Confederate White House. We were reminded about how all these things still
continue to impact each other—racism, fear, mistrust, and the potential for
violence continue.
Our previous visit to the Japanese American internment Camps
is part of this complex dynamic. We are
also thinking about the treatment of Latinos and Muslims Americans that shows
that fear and racism still exist today.
We continue to try to do our best to stand with those who have spoken
out for what is right and just.
The remainder of the day took us down through Alabama and
into Florida. About seven hours of driving and ready to stop when we reached Gainesville.
Fascinating!
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