By Jesse Gott

After waking up from a much needed night of sleep, we started our 2.5 hour drive to Montgomery, Alabama. However, we did not expect to get stuck in 45 minutes of traffic just outside of Atlanta. Finally, we crossed the state line when our bus driver, Carlton, started playing “Sweet Home Alabama”. When this came on, the boys in the back of the bus (myself included) started obnoxiously singing along and kept singing various songs by such artists including: Sublime, The Backstreet Boys, and even Bon Jovi.
When we arrived in Montgomery, we went straight to the Rosa Parks Museum. We learned how just one strong powerful black woman helped start the Civil Rights movement. The exhibit included a recreation of what happened on that fateful December day in 1955. It was interesting how, with the help of Dr. King, the African-American community of Montgomery started the bus boycott. After realizing that the bus company was losing $3,000 a day, they tried to bribe the Black community into using the bus system again with a free week of bus rides. I found it extremely profound that the Blacks took that offer as an insult and started using a carpooling system by driving other people to work. It was even more interesting that even after the boycott, some Blacks decided to walk instead of getting back on the buses. Before coming to the Museum, I had no idea that the boycott lasted more than a year. We also learned that unlike in the famous picture of Rosa Parks sitting in the front row of the bus, she was actually arrested for not giving up her seat even though she didn’t have to because she was actually sitting in the front row of the black section, but there were no other seats available for the whites.

outside the Rosa Parks museum

After we left the Museum we had lunch at Martha’s Place. I had to agree with Billy when he said that she makes some great fried chicken and sweet tea. When we were done eating, we listened to Martha talk about her life story. She told us about her previous thoughts of suicide and being on welfare, but she held on to her dream of opening a restaurant. It was very inspiring listening to her story, especially when she told us, “If you can dream it, you can do it”. It is really true due to the fact that her restaurant has been open for 21 years even after no one believed she could do it.

speaking with Martha at Martha's Place

After lunch we went to the Southern Poverty Law Center and Civil Rights Memorial. The Memorial was created by the same woman, Maya Lin, who created the Vietnam Memorial in DC. It had 40 important names engraved into the stone. There was also water running over it. Behind this was a stone wall with water falling down it as well. Engraved in the wall was a quote from the book of Amos that has been used by Dr. King quite a lot: “Until Justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream”. In the museum we learned that there are over 922 different hate groups currently in America.

Civil Rights Memorial

inside the Southern Poverty Law Center

When we left the museum we traveled for another hour to Birmingham, Alabama. When we arrived we met with Rev. Woods, a preacher in the city during the Civil Rights movement. He told us many stories about how harsh the city was towards blacks including the Police Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor. He then started to teach us some of the freedom songs that helped motivate the young Black children. I thought it was very cool that, just like Martha, Rev. Woods told us that “when you dream, you can act, and they will come true.” I thought to myself about how amazing it was that two completely different people with two completely different stories, living in two different cities, told us the same thing. As we were leaving the park where we met Rev. Woods we all started singing with him. The song? Out of nowhere 45 white people with this one elderly black man walking in Birmingham started singing “This Little Light of Mine”. It was so moving to me.

with Rev. Woods in Freedom Park

showing us where he was attacked by police dogs

When we left the Reverend, we went to a local synagogue that made dinner for us. After dinner, we moved over to a side of the room where Billy spoke to us about the history of rock and roll (one of my favorite topics). We started talking about the amazing music from artists such as Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and, of course, the King himself, Elvis. We then talked about how by just changing the rhythms and beats the music morphed into the Doors, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Beatles, and Led Zeppelin. Who then influenced the music of Billy’s favorite musician (and mine), Bruce Springsteen.
Just before we left to go to the hotel, Billy played a song (to get us pumped for Memphis) by Marc Cohn, “Walking In Memphis”. Unlike most of the kids on the trip, I have never heard this song so I really listened as it was played. The chorus of the song was what really got to me:

“Then I’m walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel”

The last line in the chorus is very interesting as he is singing about standing where all this history took place. When I heard the line, I thought to myself, how will I feel tomorrow when I am standing in the same place?”