So today we had an early start and our first stop was the Ebenezer Southern Baptist Church. The singing and music was loud and really good. I was just in awe watching and listening to them sing. The mass was a lot more personal than I have ever experienced, for example we were introduced as the group from WI and then there were two other groups that were introduced in mass and openly welcomed. Then they had a section where the members walked around and welcomed us and it was very exciting. Then during the sermon while the preacher was talking random people would shout amen or start clapping which was a very different experience than what I am used to. After mass we went to two museums around the the church that were about Dr. MLK jr. then we got to see his tomb and his birth home and the church that he spoke in.

After that we stopped at a mall for lunch and then we were done with Atlanta and on our way to Birmingham, AL. We took a tour of the civil rights museum which was really interesting about MLK, Rosa Parks, and the four girls and some other kids who unfotunately lost their lives during the demonstrations and the girls who were in the church who blew up. The neatest thing about this was that after we read all this information when we stepped out of the museum and we were in the exact location. So we were able to see the church that was bombed and then we walked around Kelly Ingram park. They have many memorials set up that we were able to walk around and see and the weather was sunny and delightful. Then my friend and I were walking down the street and we saw this old theater before crossing the street and then an older man came biking near us and asked if we were from the WI group and he started telling us about the town which was really interesting. For example the theater we were looking at was just for blacks and the one down the street was for whites and he said that about 20 years ago it was rare to have a white person in that side of town. It was interesting hearing the real info although we do not know exactly how credible it was because at the end he asked for money to puchase chicken wings.

After that long day we went to U of Albama- Birmingham to listen to a speaker who had an interesting background lifestyle during the civil rights era although she did not explain very well, she used just broad terms over and over. After the speaker we were treated by the UW-EC Alumni assoc. to eat at the Golden Coral and we pigged out on some yummy buffet food! :)

Now we arrived to our hotel Best-Western Carlton Suites and our room is AMAZING! I am tired and ready for bed! And tommorrow will be another busy day!

:)