2018 - Civil Rights Road Trip

MAP OF THE TRIP

Over Spring Break 2018, students from The Washington Leadership Academy explored the history of the Civil Rights movement via a road trip with teachers Darnell Riley and Chrystal Seawood.

The day got off to a great start as I finally got to meet the students. We visited over bagels and orange juice while we waited on the XQ camera crew to set up small cameras for the boys to use... and then drive ahead to capture video of the students arriving at our first stop: THE HBCU MUSEUM.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a rich history of providing quality education in an environment safe for students of color. One of the pictures that captured the hearts of each student was that of a 115-year-old former slave, Mammy Prater, learning to read and write (above, c. 1920).

After touring that museum, we spent the next 7 hours driving to Greensboro, NC. We arrived in time to meet some of Darnell’s old students for dinner, and now we’re all exhausted and going to bed.

More exploration tomorrow as we begin our day at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum... formally known as the Woolworth’s Lunch Counter.

Every morning the students worked through EYES ON THE PRIZE, by Juan Williams

Day 2

It is close to 11 pm and I am exhausted... but the good kind of exhausted. We started the day in Greensboro, NC by sitting around the breakfast table and reading about the strategies used by Charles Hampton Houston to fight school segregation after World War II. We then went to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum (formerly known as Woolworth) to explore the history of the lunch counter sit-ins. This docent-led tour is amazing, meaningful, and impactful -- and should definitely be high on your list to visit.

From the museum, we walked over to Pizzeria L’Italiano on Elm Street for lunch, then began our trip to Charlotte. Our first stop in Charlotte was The Levine Museum of the New South, a museum that provides the history of Charlotte from cotton to skyscrapers, with a good section on the integration of Charlotte schools. Of course, the sad thing is that they haven’t updated the museum with the story of Charlotte’s regression back to segregated schools... but I’m hoping Charlotte corrects that journey before the history has to be changed.

Our next site of exploration was Imaginon. We had not originally planned to visit Imaginon, but the Levine Museum closed early for a wedding, so we had some time to kill -- and it was fun.

Next on the agenda was dinner at Mert’s Heart & Soul, where we were joined by some Profound Gentlemen (a huge THANK YOU! to Mario for taking the time to join us). And we finally ended the evening at the West Charlotte High School Production of IN THE HEIGHTS. The boys really enjoyed it, and even stayed after the performance for pictures with the cast.

Overall, a highly successful and fun day!

Day 3

We all woke up exhausted this morning, but started the day right with a relaxing breakfast -- talking, laughing, and learning about each other.

Washington Leadership Academy is an XQ Super School, and when XQ found out about the road trip, they asked if a camera crew could join us for part of the journey. While that sounds like a lot of fun, folding another 4-5 somewhat demanding people (“wait in the car until we’re ready to film you getting out of the car”) into a schedule that is planned down to the minute is proving challenging. Today the attempt to trade the small rental van in for a larger one to accommodate the camera crew -- a task that took up about 3.5 hours and was eventually unsuccessful -- meant that we screeched into the Georgia Aquarium at 7 pm in time to explore the sea creatures for 2 hours before we grabbed a late dinner and headed to our rooms.

All-in-all it was a decent transitional Sunday, and we are ready to hit the ground running tomorrow morning.

P.S. Before we left Charlotte, we managed to swing by the football stadium and get some photos with the black panthers :)

Day 4

The morning started with a tour of Morehouse College for the young men. They loved hearing about the traditions and educational opportunities of the college, and I loved hearing their excitement about it over lunch. Speaking of lunch, below is the scene of devastation and destruction we left at Mary Mac’s.

From Mary Mac’s we went to the King Center... another emotional tour for all. This is a wonderful, interactive museum that provided the students with a good foundation for further study of Dr. King. The thing I learned today was that Dr. King’s mother was assassinated in church (only 6 years after the assassination of her son) while playing the organ. So much tragedy.

The eternal flame.

After touring we the King Center, we drove to Birmingham to steel ourselves for the deep-dive into sadness that the next 3 days will bring.

Day 5

On every road trip, there is one unplanned day or event that turns out to be the best part of the trip... and today was that day. What we had PLANNED was this: visit the Civil Rights Institute, tour the 16th Street Baptist Church, stop for a photo op on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, then -- if there was time -- visit the Slavery and Civil War Museum. What HAPPENED was this:

1. As usual, we began the morning reading EYES ON THE PRIZE at the breakfast table... specifically about the Bull Connor and the voter registration issues in Alabama (as portrayed in the movie SELMA). We visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and walked the grounds of the Freedom Walk in the park across the street which has heartbreaking, graphic statues depicting the cruelties of law enforcement against the activists seeking civil rights.

2. Right across the street is the 16th Street Baptist Church, where a bomb killed four little girls. Services are still held at this church, but during the week you can tour facilities and see amazing artifacts and photos of the 1960s.

3. Next up was an amazing lunch at Dreamland BBQ, and I’m not lying when I say I can’t remember better bbq.

The camera crew joined us for lunch!

4. With time running out, we decided to switch the order of events and visit the Ancient Africa, Enslavement & Civil War Museum before we walked across the Pettus Bridge. What we didn’t know was that XQ had arranged for ANNIE PEARL AVERY, a Bloody Sunday veteran, to meet us there!!!!! [Google her!] She spent about 2 hours with us in the museum detailing her work with SNCC and in the crusade for voter registration in the South -- facing water cannons, fire bombs, and friends murdered.

Annie Pearl Avery - Civil Rights Activist and Bloody Sunday veteran

5. We left the museum and walked 2 blocks to the Pettus Bridge for photos and reflection. What an amazing time.

6. But we weren’t done yet. XQ had also arranged for Malika Fortier to meet with us and discuss the ongoing legal struggles of integration and discrimination in the South.

Malika Fortier

We finally ended this amazing day with dinner ... and Mrs. Avery joined us! From there we drove to Meridian, Mississippi -- arriving at 11:30 pm. That leaves us 6 hours of sleep before we start out again tomorrow.

Day 6

We knew this day would be tough... we just didn’t realize how hard it was going to be, and not just emotionally.

We began our day at the new Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, an interactive journey that is both truthful, yet filled with hope for the future.

Our next stop was a tour of Medgar Evers home -- and by this time (after all of the museums we’ve toured) we understand how all of these movements (SNCC, SCLC, etc.) and activists were connected. For instance, we know Medgar Evers was killed for his work in voter registration across the South but he was also one of the people who helped the witnesses in the Emmett Till case escape Mississippi after their testimony so they wouldn’t be killed.

One of the many messages that we’ve heard over and over again on this trip from Bloody Sunday veterans/survivors and other Baby Boomer activists is that the baton must be passed to the next generation. And I’m very happy to say that I believe this generation is willing to take it and run.

After the Medgar Evers home, we began the tough part of the day. We knew we wouldn’t make it to the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, MS before it closed... so we decided to visit Bryant Grocery & Meat Market [the store at which Till supposedly spoke inappropriately to the wife of the owner (she later admitted it never happened)] and the site on the Tallahatchie River where the 14-year-old boy’s body was recovered. Since most of the students with us are 14, they connected with Till and seeing the Till sites was high on their list.

As we left Jackson and began driving deeper into the rural countryside, the weather became as oppressive as my spirits. The state is still racked with poverty (but low taxes! #YouGetWhatYouPayFor), the roads are in terrible condition, and gas stations are few and far between. We made it to the store and it made my heart happy to see the determined faces of these young men against the decaying, crumbling store -- a little foreshadowing of America’s hopeful future.

Then we headed to the river site -- the site where the Memorial Sign gets shot up and vandalized every time they replace it. It had been raining and this historic site is located on a dirt/gravel road. All around us the fields were flooded and fear began to tap at the recesses of my brain. We had to drive 3 miles down this dirt/gravel road before we reached the turnoff which looked like this:

From this point, we waded to the river trying to find the memorial marker (it’s gone), but that vandalism didn’t stop us from paying our respects. Just as we reached the river, the heavens opened up and rain began pouring down. Yet still, in the pouring rain, the students stood facing the water and reflecting:

And for 15 minutes they stood in the rain reflecting, discussing, internalizing, and remembering. Darnell pointed out that we know about Emmett... but there are thousands of black men and women who simply disappeared. It’s something I will think about every time I remember Emmett Till.

By the time we left, the 3 miles back to a paved road were absolutely treacherous. We were slipping and sliding, with clenched knuckles trying to go slowly and steadily without sliding into the flooded fields around the road. Once we made it to the paved road, we followed the GPS trying to get to I-55... but 20 miles into this journey, the road abruptly ended with a “Bridge is Out” sign. There were no warnings and no other side roads off this main road. How hard is it to put up a “Bridge is Out - No Access to Interstate” sign? (But, hey, low taxes!!)

So we made it back to where we began -- needing gas (of course). The GPS said that there was a BP station in Webb, MS about 5 miles away. After wending our way there through the thunder, lightening, and pouring rain, there was NOT a gas station (but low taxes!). When we did a u-turn, a cop materialized out of nowhere and pulled us over. While he was talking to the lead car, he was yelling something at the 2 cars in the back. I couldn’t hear what he was saying (because it was dark and RAINING), so I jumped out of the car with cell phone in hand and starting jogging over saying, “I can’t hear what you’re telling us to do.” He turned to me and yelled, “GET YOUR HANDS UP!” I froze. And once he realized that a camera crew was in the other car, he got in his car and just left. [To be clear, this is my perception of why the police left so suddenly. We arrived at the hotel so late and in such a state of disarray that I haven’t had a chance to talk yet with the adults in the lead van as to why the police left so suddenly. And I’ll update later to correct if needed.]

Although the day ended in fear, I am very happy that the last time I set foot in this miserable state, I was with these amazing people.

UPDATE: I’ve had a chance to speak individually with all of the adults (so as not to color each other’s perception), and I stand by my original comment. There was not a “No U-turn” sign (thanks, Google Earth).

Day 7

After last night’s “rain” of Mississippi terror, we were happy to be in Memphis today. We started out the day at the National Civil Rights Museum, which has incorporated the entire Lorraine Motel into yet another amazing civil rights museum. This museum begins with slavery in America (which “celebrates” its 400th anniversary on 8/20/2019) and continues up through the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The tour culminates with visitors standing in Room 306 and looking out the windows over the balcony to the killer’s perch. By this time in the road trip, our students could have been the docents leading the groups through the exhibits. I am so proud of their knowledge of these events, their understanding of how these events came to be, and their vision for an America in which such events could never happen again.

For lunch we enjoyed some great BBQ, burgers, and chicken & waffles at Miss Polly’s Soul City Cafe on Beale Street.

And we ended the touring day by letting the boys vent some energy at Sky Zone. They certainly deserved the fun, and we have another fun activity planned for tomorrow before we begin our way home.

Day 8

We started the day with an escape room! (Those of you who know me personally just thought, “But, of course.”) I absolutely love the logic, problem-solving, and team work of escape rooms, and The Escape Game in Nashville has one of the best I’ve ever done (it involved crawling through a fireplace and sliding down a tube to get into the next stage). Since this the first one for most of the students, I was happy they had so much fun.

After the escape room, I began my drive home while Darnell, Chrystal and the students gave final interviews to the film crew and toured Fisk University.

It was an amazing journey and I will never forget it.

Final Reflections

This trip was impactful to me in so many ways -- but the most important thing I learned was this: Throughout my education, I learned about the murder of Emmett Till; I heard about the Freedom Riders; I knew about the assassination of Dr. King, etc. But in my mind they were separate events that popped up out of nowhere along a generally peaceful road of life. I now know that all of these events were connected and that the road for black Americans has never been peaceful -- and it’s certainly not peaceful today with the continued killing of unarmed black men by the police.

If you have ever wished you could go back in history to help enslaved Africans make their way along the Underground Railroad, or hide Anne Frank during the holocaust, or join the Freedom Riders during the fight for Civil Rights... you have that opportunity right now. In the future, museums will cover the Black Lives Matter movement... which side of history will you be on?

Are you the angry white person in the background, willfully refusing to see the truth?

Or are you an ally? Silence indicates support of the oppressor... there is no middle ground