By Samantha Brody

For our first meeting on the road, the trip went smoothly. Two and a half hours after we left Atlanta we arrived in Montgomery, Alabama. There we went back to the beginning of the Civil Rights movement… the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks.

Located at the sight of famous bus stop where Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat is the Rosa Parks Library and Museum. It went beyond many museums I have ever been to before. In addition to the many pictures and documents of the events and the aftermath of the bus boycott, we got to see a virtual portrayal of Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat. I really, really loved how enthusiastic our tour guide was. While we were at the museum, I saw my favorite, and utterly true, quote of the day: “Women who behave rarely make history.”

An hour later we went for lunch and experienced some real Southern home cooking at a restaurant called Martha’s Place. After eating, we met Martha and heard her story. She was a woman who defied expectations and her own depression. She had been on welfare, drugs and alcohol as well as suicidal when she realized that she still had a dream to fulfill, and that was opening her own restaurant. She told us to dream big dreams and not let anyone tell us we can’t achieve them.

Our next stop was the Southern Poverty Law Center. This is an organization dedicated to the continued fight for Civil and Human Rights by exposing hate crimes and legally going after the hate groups. At the Center we were granted the opportunity to learn more about the martyrs who contributed to the Civil Rights movement. We also watched a video that told about many of their lives and this moved me to choked sobs. At the end of the exhibit we were able to add our names to the Wall Of Tolerance which means that we pledged to fight intolerance and hatred and it ended our visit here perfectly.

Today’s journey through the Civil Rights Movement ended with meeting Reverend Woods at Kelly Ingram Park and the 16th Street Baptist Church. Reverend Woods spoke to us about his experiences in the struggle for equality and also taught us many of the freedom songs and chants that the Civil Rights protesters sang when marching. He had the whole group singing and clapping along. Kelly Ingram Park was beautiful but it was so hard to imagine that less than 50 years ago it was the site where people were attacked by dogs and fire hoses.

The day came to a close when we had our wrap up (where everyone gets to reflect on their day) in the middle of the park. After dinner at Fire & Ice, a Mongolian BBQ, we made a stop at Temple Beth El, a Conservative Synagogue, and heard about how during the Civil Rights era, dynamite had been found at the front door only a few minutes before it was set to explode.

Next stop tomorrow… MEMPHIS!

Recreating the “freedom chants” with Reverend Woods

Singing with Reverend Woods