The Legacy Museum was so powerful, and the magnitude of the experience of Blacks throughout history left me stunned and overwhelmed. From the beginning video simulation of being on the ocean to walking across the ocean floor amongst the dead, I realized that I never really learned anything about slavery. Going through the rest of the museum I felt sadness, outrage, sympathy, and disgust. The enormity of it all left me feeling inadequate to address the problems of today’s world. And yet today’s visits showed me that although the problems can be overwhelming, every person can play her part to make a difference. We visited the Rosa Parks museum, which is phenomenal. After an introductory video explaining that bus segregation was the worst type people in Montgomery encountered, we watched a video reenactment of Rosa’s refusal. We learned that her act of defiance that day was not just her being physically tired. She spoke for everyone when she asked why do you keep pushing us around. After her arrest many in the community wanted to know what they could do and Joann Robinson called for bus boycott. With just three days notice the committee arranged the boycott and chose Martin Luther King Jr. to lead it. The boycott lasted 13 months and included mass arrests, lawsuits, and threat of violence. But this was the first revolution of peace in our country, and the Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was illegal. And although I heard the story before and knew the history, I didn’t really understand the sacrifices made, and the pride the people took by refusing to board the bus. The feeling of helplessness, when being treated inhumanely on the bus was replaced with the power of controlling your own fate. And it took each person to make that change happen.
This one person making a difference was illustrated in stunning fashion when we had the privilege to meet activist and artist Michelle Browder. She welcomed us into her space and shared her story of how the Mothers of Gynecology and her More Up campus came to be. After learning that the father of a gynecology use slaves to develop his famous procedures. Michelle created beautiful monuments to these three women. She did not stop there. She is using continuing to help her community by having a mobile health clinic. She bought the former Negro hospital to make it a museum and teaching center. She is fun, funny and most of all inspiring . She makes me want to take an active role in my community.
We then went to Birmingham to tour the Kelly Ingram Park and explore the monuments along the freedom walk honoring the young adults and children who were foot soldiers trying to end segregation in Birmingham. These children were met with police brutality, dogs and water cannons. The children stepped in when the adults couldn’t take part. Sadly children were the victims in the 16th St., Baptist Church bombing. A new memorial is now in the park honoring the girls. We had the pleasure of meeting a woman who not only survived the bombing who was a foot soldier during the protest that summer. Carolyn McKinstry met us at Temple Beth El and she shared her story with us. But more importantly than her eyewitness account of the bombing was the story of how she was able to forgive and make a lasting contribution to Civil Rights. Before Carolyn’s talk, we engaged in an activity that the congregation of Temple Bethel created to examine what their members did during the civil rights struggle. The synagogue was the target of a bomb that failed to detonate. We watched a film in which many congregates discuss the tough issues surrounding speaking for Blacks and what roles they could have taken. We also had a clever activity in which we examined one of the members life from that time period and determined level of advocacy they reached. All of this culminated perfectly with Carolyn‘s talk and goes to the emotional struggle I had leaving the places yesterday. What can one person – what can I do- since the struggles African Americans face are just as prevalent today. Instead of feeling overwhelmed I feel inspired. Whether it was the actions from someone like Rosa Parks 60 years ago or people like Michelle and Carolyn today, I know I have to take an active role to make a change. In Carolyn’s words “How can I improve the world I inherited?” “Be courageous. Speak out. Forgive.”
