Experiences so far

I am so incredibly exhausted right now as I write this, but I have to say that it is the type of exhaustion that only comes as a result of learning so much. These past four days have been so incredibly amazing, all of the locations we have visited so far were just so powerful to experience.

Starting off with Dr. Rouse was an awesome way to get the feel of the movement, and she was so knowledgable about the women involved. There were a lot of women who were an integral part of the Civil Rights movement that I never learned about in elementary/high school.

The Sunday mass at Ebenezer Baptist Church has been my favorite event so far! I have learned throughout this trip that churches were a huge part of this movement. Attending the baptist service made it very clear that faith is extremely important in the African American community here in the south. The choir was absolutely fantastic and the preacher gave such an inspirational message. I thoroughly enjoyed walking through the Dr. MLK Jr. exhibit after mass as well. It was a really powerful experience to stand in front of his tomb knowing how much he accomplished during the movement.

The museums that we visited throughout this trip have all been incredibly interesting, but my favorite would have to be the Civil Rights memorial center. I had an especially emotional journey through the hall of social justice issues while reading the stories of racial violence in modern times. It was difficult to see that social justice issues are still very present in our modern society, specifically with muslims (following 9/11) and gay rights. Reading the testimonies of people who murdered/lynched others simply because of their differences and hearing the heartlessness in their voices made me realize that the civil rights movement is still not over.

This trip has made me think a lot about racism and social justice issues that occur in my life and what I can do to make a difference. With everything that I have learned thus far, I know that it is important to educate others on what I have learned and make sure that people truly understand the level of cruelty with which African Americans were treated during this time period.

I'm excited to learn a lot more about the history of the Civil Rights movement in the next coming days, but for now I need some sleep :)