By Ethan Hassenfeld

“And this is Etgar 36” was what the little voice in my head said to me when I woke up this morning. After breakfast and a two and a half hour ride we arrived in Montgomery, Alabama.

Stepping off our home on wheels, the Rosa Parks Museum opened up a new side to an old story. We started by listening to Billy talk about what the times were like in America on December 1, 1955. Everyone knows that Rosa Parks sat down and never got up but what was interesting to me was all that went into the boycott after her arrest and that, at least I think so, she had no understanding of the impact of her actions. All that this woman wanted to do was sit down after a long day and get home.

After seeing one famous woman in history, our bus headed for lunch. There, to my surprise, was another inspiring story that came to life. We went to eat at Martha’s Place and we spoke with Martha. She raised four sons by herself and was depressed, on welfare, on drugs and wanted to commit suicide. Instead, she found God and through her faith and determination opened a restaurant. It was amazing to hear that it took her over three years to open. It was a perfect Southern meal.

A good hearty lunch may have slowed us down, but we were uplifted by our visit to the Southern Poverty Law Center. They have been fighting the good fight against hate crimes and injustice since the 1970s. The founders of the Southern Poverty Law Center have been winning Civil Rights cases for their clients and do not accept any of the money that their clients win. For them it may be a job but for me they save lives.

Finally we made our way to Birmingham and got off the bus at Kelly Ingram Park. This is the place where blacks had the water hoses turned on them by the police, attacked by dogs and where four girls were killed at the 16th Street Baptist Church when it was bombed. The best part of being on this spot was meeting with Reverend Woods who actually worked with Dr. King and others to move the Civil Rights struggle forward in Birmingham. He is now the local President of the S.C.L.C. The same organization that Dr. King helped to create. Hearing his story of conflict and faith impacted us all and inspired us to rise above our hardships.

It is only the second day but Etgar 36 has already shown us more than we have ever learned and has proven a great way to bring to life what could be boring when read in a history book in school.