On Saturday, the UP Civil Rights group arrived at the Rosa
Parks Museum in downtown Montgomery. The first room in this experience featured
short write-ups on numerous civil rights leaders, including Frederick Douglass,
Thurgood Marshall, and Rev. Graetz (with whom we had dinner last Thursday).
Following a presentation roughly outlining the influence of Rosa Parks on the
civil rights movement, we were met with an interactive walk-through experience.
The first display was a reenactment showing the exact events which occurred
during Rosa Parks’ infamous sit-down protest. The rest of the museum focused on
the aftermath of this event, highlighting the involvement of the Dexter
parishioners in organizing a bus boycott, coordinating a massive carpool
system, and financially supporting those detrimentally affected by the effort.
The museum also featured realistic reproductions of period artifacts such as a
church car used in the carpool system and life-size wax models of bus riders,
as well as authentic relics of the time such as the police report of Rosa
Park’s arrest, Montgomery newspaper clips covering the bus boycotts, and
leaflets advertising the boycott. The museum was very informative about not
only Rosa’s efforts but about those of the community at large in demanding an
end to the oppressive practices utilized in Montgomery bus system.
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| Carissa, Hannah, Nicole, Katie, Emma, & Bella by the waterfront |
Following our visit, we had a free period before our next
stop. The group splintered into several subgroups to recreationally explore the
city. There were several enticing attractions – including the blissfully
delicious banana pudding at Dreamland & the Second Saturday festival down
by the waterfront – but otherwise we noticed a distinct lack of people and
economic prosperity about town. Several spaces were boarded up along the main
street, a sight quite in contrast to the bustling downtown Montgomery we have
repeatedly seen in civil rights photographs. Our group couldn’t help but wonder
how this economic depression has contributed to the modern day struggles for
marginalized groups in Alabama (notably, African American residents).
Our next destination was Malden Brothers Barber Shop, where
we reunited with Nelson Malden (also with whom we had dinner last Thursday). He
and his co-worker Steve treated the braver members of our group to haircuts and
eyebrow shavings. As the photographs show, some of us made some pretty
adventurous decisions. Afterwards, Nelson was kind enough to lead us on a
walking tour around the neighborhood, pointing out the former homes of civil
rights activists. Our visit was certainly educational especially with the
ever-kind Nelson as our guide.
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| The UP Civil Rights group with Nelson Malden (center) outside Malden Brothers Barber Shop |
The UP Civil Rights group then spent their Saturday night engaged
in a rather heated discussion about the necessity of economic stability in
overcoming oppression, as well as which approach best allows us to connect with
people of different social dimensions. Saturday was busy and appropriately one
of the most exhausting days thus far.
- Jack Greenwood
On Sunday morning, the UP group joined the parishioners of
Resurrection Catholic Mission for a Sunday morning mass. We noticed some differences between the
mass held at Resurrection and the masses held at University of Portland. Some of these differences included
opening the mass with an interpretive dance, an emphasis on music, and active call
and response during the service. After
the mass, we changed out of our Sunday best and spent the rest of the day in
smaller groups exploring Montgomery and the surrounding areas. Some students spent the day at
Resurrection. Other students piled
into cars and explored the nearby town of Cloverdale.
Cloverdale is a historic town that has many old Southern
homes, and (to some) is an oasis of modernity. On the main street, we found an outdoor bar, a movie
theater, an art gallery, and a small coffee shop where we had lunch. After walking through the town, we
drove around and looked at the Southern homes. We drove back to Resurrection, where we were warmly welcomed
into the home of Father Manuel, the pastor of Resurrection. He provided us with dinner and
stimulating conversation. With full hearts, full minds, full stomachs, and full
dosages of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, we returned to our current parish
home to rejuvenate ourselves for the long day to come.
- Hannah Thorson
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| The UP Civil Rights Group with our Selma tour guide Austin Fitz (center) outside the Selma Courthouse |
We began our Monday by loading our vehicles for the
hour-long drive to Selma, Alabama to meet our voluntary tour guide Austin Fitz
in the town’s Public Library. Austin is a quick-witted and charmingly comical
man who guided us on a walking tour of his historical town which included showing
us a cannon from the confederate navy, multiple churches throughout the town, a
courthouse, and a historical museum on the edge of town. The museum was
particularly interesting due to how different it ostensibly was from our
previous museum visits that were much more structured and included everything
from pre-civil war to post civil rights movement.
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| the ornate stained glass inside St. Paul's |
From there we headed to lunch at a small, family diner
across from the library where we started the tour. For many of us, this was our
first Southern restaurant experience which led to an abundance of delicious
food such as fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, okra, and
cornbread. Even the sweet tea was served in cups three times the size of an
average restaurant beverage. Austin sat mid-table and continued to engage us
with conversation and stories about his life in Selma as a white man in support
of equality, and the struggles that followed.
After lunch Austin directed us to Brown’s Chapel which marks
the beginning of the March to Montgomery, approximately a fifty-four mile trek.
From there we drove around a while longer before our next obligation of the
day, and were able to visit the local cemetery as well and drive by some
antebellum homes, one of which still belongs to the same family it did
pre-civil war.
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| an ornate Southern home in Selma |
Our next stop was the Voting Rights Museum right outside of
Selma City limits. The UP group walked across the Edmund Pettus bridge to the
museum which was where marchers crossed at the beginning of their journey to
Montgomery and once faced police and opponents on Bloody Sunday.
We began the Voting Rights Museum by hearing Sam, the man at
the front desk, lay down the rules and tell us about his experience and
contributions to the Civil Rights Movement though he was only eleven years old
at the time. He told us that even as a young child, he was still part of the
movement by leaving school early and protesting, which at times resulted in
being thrown in a jail cell of twenty or so other people with only a small
bucket of water and a single toilet for all of them to share. He then let us
loose to explore the timelines, displays, and photos that were recovered by a
police officer and shared with the museum. The rooms in the museum consisted of
exhibits on topics such as women’s suffrage, hate groups, and Obama which was a
refreshing change-up from some of the other institutes because of these diverse
topics.
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| The UP group akes a #civilrights #selfie on the Edmund Pettus Bridge |
By then we were all ready to return back to our home at Resurrection
Church in part from the scalding heat unveiled throughout the day. This was
followed by a spectacular curry prepared by Jack, Ryan, and Bella, group
discussion, and a showing of Fruitvale Station in order to give us another
example of modern day racism. After some more thoughtful conversation, the
group headed to bed in preparation for a day full of volunteering at the parish
that has been so hospitable.
Our last day in Alabama consisted of volunteering at
Resurrection Church both inside with the teachers and children, as well as
outside doing yard work with our friend Betsy. This included everything from
assisting in the classroom and everyday activities of the students, to turning
the gardens over in preparation for planting, weeding, and raking up leaves.
Though some of the work seemed tedious, we all agreed that we learned something
from it or felt rewarded seeing the finished product of our work. Tomorrow we
embark on our four hour and forty-five minute drive to Tennessee on our way to
Pilgrim Hostel where we will stay for the next few days.
- Bella Romero
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