After looking back on the past action packed week, I am amazed at how many events we were able to partake in. Getting to sit in on a service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA was AMAZING. I feel that was a great experience to have early in the trip because it showed us a continuing theme of how important the institution of church was in the Civin Rights Movement. Whatever stage of the trip we were on, the courage of members of the movement was propelled by their faith.
Second, going to Alabama and being able to travel the road that was traveled by 25,000 people on their march from Selma, AL to the state capitol in Montgomery, AL was so moving. I caught myself looking at the ground from time to time and picturing John Lewis or JoAnn Bland still walking. Our generation at times takes for granted what previous generations have done for us, and this experience has made me even more grateful for the sacrafices previous people have made to make my life the way it is today. I also hope this experience will give me the confidence to fight in our current society for justice and equality in whatever facet it may be, so future generations can live better than I do, just as I live better than my grandparents generation.
Third, being in Memphis, where we as a nation lost our moral president in Martin Luther King Jr, I felt honored to be at the location in which our nation was forever changed. I felt as if it was a dream. If felt like an out of body experience. I will never forget that day in my life.
Being able to look into the room which MLK was in moments before he left this world; looking at the exact spot he lay with a bullet in his head, looking at the vantage point believed to be the location of the shooter, I was an awe.
I forever will be changed in my outlook on life and everything I feel I am meant to be in this life. This trip has reaffirmed what I already knew I wanted to do in my career; public service. This experience has strengthened my desire to better others and their lives. I feel honored to have experienced what I have been able to experience over the past week.
Abou Amara
The Civil Rights Pilgrimage is taken by students at UW-Eau Claire each winter and spring break to explore the Deep South and be immersed in the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Follow their progress on the trip and watch for pictures, videos, and updates from students on the trip, and check out students' journaled experiences each day!
NEW! Communication and Journalism students report from the pilgrimage!
UW-Eau Claire Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Civil Rights Memorial
Welcome
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire students have the opportunity to spend their winter or spring break on a Civil Rights Pilgrimage to the South, visiting sites of historic importance to the U.S. civil rights movement. This blog is a record of the learning experiences of our students dating back to our first trip in March 2008.
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