Song of the Day: Pretty much anything by Betty Mae Fikes can make a long walk shorter, especially "This Little Light of Mine." But since we couldn't find that one, here's another:
Today we went just about everywhere in Alabama, at least
that is how it felt being in Selma, Birmingham, and Montgomery.
At first we started the day pitching our tent at the Oak
Mountain Camp ground. Then we headed for Selma. We ate Lunch a Lannie’s
(l-Annie’s) a local BBQ place. It was so good! We then went to the Edmond Pettis
Bridge in Selma, first driving over, but
then walking back. It was really cool getting to see where the President stood,
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “ The arch of the universe bends toward
justice.” And where so many people were bashed and bruised. It is incredible
how much history can go in one bridge.
Next, we went to the mini museum, about the march from Selma to
Montgomery.
Then we went to the next county over, Lowndes, and went to
the bigger National Park Service museum and learned more about the march and
Tent City, which SNCC provided for families kicked out of their homes after
trying to register to vote.
We then headed on to Montgomery, and the Rosa Parks Museum.
We had a bubbly tour guide, and a great experience. One of the highlights was that when the
introductory video finishes, doors open into a narrated scene of the day Rosa
got arrested. It was a great museum, and
I recommend you going there.
After, we saw the Dexter Ave. Baptist Church (King’s) and a
memorial outside the Southern Poverty Law Center by the same artist that did
the Viet Nam Veterans memorial in Washington D.C.
Tomorrow: Birmingham!
Hey Gillie! How many states so far (and you can't count Illinois twice, even is you didn't mean to go there even once...). Also, I'm wondering whether the car soundtrack is all Civil Rights-era, or whether you are rocking out to any particular contemporary tunes? I'm glad to see To Kill a Mockingbird at the top of your list--are you going to Harper Lee's hometown on your trip? And what do you think about the "new book" that's coming out next year? Are you planning to read it? Enjoy the rest of your trip!
ReplyDeleteSeven States: Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama. The car sound track is a Smithsonian songs of freedom, the golden compass, and The best Bad Luck I ever had. Yes we are, it is already on our reading list, and we can't wait.
DeleteIs Rosa smiling in that picture, Gillie? She looks like she is enjoying sitting next to you on the bus.
ReplyDeleteProbably, she is a saint.
DeleteSounds so cool you got to walk across that same bridge! Did you see the movie Selma? It was great, really touching (and sad)
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ReplyDeleteThank you for letting us go along on your trip with you this way! I have another question for you. Why do you think the protesters decided to walk across this bridge in protest as opposed to just walking as a group down the street?
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