Day 3

What stood out the most to me today was the civil rights memorial.  It was so beautiful and powerful to feel the names of the martyrs who gave their lives.  I also think it is great that there is a pool of water that allows you to see your reflection in the memorial.  It made me feel like I was a part of the movement.  I think the structure of the memorial was so well thought out, not only for the names engraved and the water, but also because the middle of the memorial has a blank space.  It is inspiring and makes you realize that the movement is not over and there is still more work for us to do.   The pursuit of equality, fairness and civil rights do not end with the names on the memorial and we must continue the work.

It really made me feel empowered to want to continue working toward these causes.  The names listed at the monument, and many more, lost their lives to work to end civil injustice, and I believe we must follow in their footsteps and help continue their work.  The memorial invoked so many emotions and really made me reflect on all the sacrifices that have been made by others before me.  I felt a mixture of gratitude but also a sense of great sadness that these events occurred.  

However, it is important to not dwell on all the sadness in the world but use these situations to make positive change. 

While the memorial honors the people whose lives were taken, it really opens my eyes to the horrific past.  So many innocent lives were taken for no reason other than the color of their skin. We must not only focus on all the things that are wrong in the world, but it is extremely important not to sugar coat what happened and realize seriousness in very situation.