The 18 of us landed yesterday, Tuesday, May 6th,
2014 in Birmingham, Alabama. It isn’t a true Moreau Center Service Learning
Immersion until something unplanned happens. Our group had the good fortune of being
so distinguished before leaving the airport—car rental complications. After some paramount leadership on the part
of our trip coordinators and determined patience by the other group members, we
drove away from the airport exhausted but no less excited to embark on this
trip. We spent the remainder of the first day and evening touring our temporary
home, a Parish outside of Montgomery.
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| Entrance to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. |
Day One
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
The ride to back to Birmingham in the morning was relatively uneventful, with the
exception of the chunks that were blown—carsickness, but the drive allowed for
a refreshed bunch of us to get more closely acquainted. Our first stop was the
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Birmingham is often considered a focal point
for civil rights in the United States. It is a city with a rich history tied to
industrialization and labor on the part of blacks and other (often new)
immigrants. This museum provides an interactive historical account of some of
the stories of the atrocities and strides that have been taking to advance
civil rights.
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| Youthful protestors courageously advancing civil rights. |
The self-guided tour begins with a brief video about
Birmingham’s history that sets the context for the historical events that are
displayed in the museum. We were then invited into semi-interactive displays
like a dual school house that contrasted the disparity between white and black
education during the prior to the 1960s and a wall of once popular product
marketing flyers perpetuated negative stereotypes against black.
16th Street Church and Kelly Ingram
We spent lunch in Kelly Ingram park, a civil rights landmark
that is arguably most famous for the 1963 student protest in which Safety
Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor confronted youth with water canons and police
dogs. The park is at once awesomely beautiful and disturbing. It seems to exude
a tranquility that could only have come from great turbulence.
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| Group-ie at the main entrances of the 16th Street Church. |
The 16th Street Church was something of a
headquarter for many specific civil rights initiative and the bombing that took
place on September 15, 1963 catalyzed and promoted the cause of equality the
world over. Four innocent girls we murdered. They posthumously received the
Congressional Gold Metal in 2013 rather unceremoniously.
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| Stained glass gifted by artist John Petts following the 1963 bombing. |
Reflection
The overt racism and hatred was overwhelming. All of us were
aghast, some commenting that it was difficult to even begin to connect or
understand the racism of the previous century. The act of bombing a church for
instance would be consisted an act of terror today and some form of justice
would be dealt swiftly, both in public opinion and the judicial system. In the
case of the 16th Street Church bombing, our government’s “blind”
court system only investigated and prosecuted the perpetrators decades in the
future.
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| Viewing the 16th Street memorial. |
However, we were reminded that the stories we hear and see
and learn are relative. A discussion of race and injustice is incomplete
without acknowledging the various stories of people involved with the civil
rights movement. Additionally, racism continues to exist and in order to
improve the quality of our society we must understand our own role in (in)justice.
Contributions and editing by Ryan Gillespie
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