By Melissa Seltzer

As our first full day of Etgar 36 began, we set off to the Pencil Factory to discuss the story of Leo Frank. We were standing at the site where in 1913, Leo Frank, a white Jewish man who managed the factory, was accused of murdering a 13 year old girl named Mary Phagan. Once accused, he faced extremely unfair treatment from both the legal system and society. After experiencing violence and hatred in jail, he was eventually taken from the jail by members of the KKK who were seeking revenge for Mary’s death.  They took him to a farm and hung him. His lynching was one of the only documented white lynchings in the early 1900s. This event was significant for many reasons, especially for the Jewish community. Our discussion at the pencil factory opened our eyes to the wide variety of people impacted by the Civil Rights movement, and it also reflected the close connection between our Jewish identity and the history of America.

at the Pencil Factory

After a stop at a store to pick up any forgotten supplies, we had lunch. Then we visited Sweet Auburn Avenue. This street was the old center of black life in Atlanta, which represented hope, pride, and comfort for many people who lived in the neighborhood. After a discussion at the MLK Center, we went inside to see the exhibits and watch a movie that documented the story and struggle of Civil Rights. The film introduced us to many of the important people and issues that we discussed and will continue to discuss throughout our journey, such as Congressman John Lewis who we will meet with when we go to Washington DC. We walked to the house where Dr. King was born. The street was lined with both large and small homes, which is often credited for his vision of equality for all people. We then went to Dr. King’s tomb and paid our respects to him and his wife.

Gandhi statue at the King Center	tomb of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King

After a stop at Krispy Kreme, we headed to the Names Project, which is the national headquarters for the AIDS Quilt. We split into two groups- boys and girls. The girls first started by speaking with Janece Shaffer, who is the communications director of the Names Project. We discussed the significance of the AIDS epidemic to us as Americans and Jews. We also discussed why our country’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a Civil Rights issue. We were amazed to learn the differences in the availability and content of sex education across our country. We then switched with the boys who started by meeting with Alan, a man living with AIDS. He was incredibly open with us and we were all amazed at how willing he was to answer our questions. His story moved everyone and we all felt it was a great introduction to our discussions about the continuing struggle for Civil Rights. Throughout his story he really stressed that it only takes one person to make a difference, motivating us all to try and make a change throughout our journey.

	surrounded by quilts at the Names Project

Our final meeting of the day was with Reverend Williams. His booming voice and powerful message impacted us all. We discussed the dangerous times of our generation as well as his Civil Rights experiences. Reverend Williams, at over 80 years old, is one of the oldest living Civil Rights activists. He shared stories of integrating restaurants and hotels, as well as stories of his daughter integrating her elementary school. He pushed us all to continue the fight for Civil Rights for everyone and really strive to make the world a better place. As he concluded his speech, he explained everything we had been discussing in one phrase: “The Civil Rights movement is not a black movement, it is a people movement.”

We ended the day with dinner and then burning off our energy by playing on a field.

Today was a great start to our journey. We were moved by the speakers and places we experienced, and we can’t wait to head off to Alabama!