-Kristen Garrity
I haven’t laughed as hard all year as I did tonight.
After a steady drive from Selma, AL to Birmingham we visited the Civil Right’s Institute and had an incredibly informative tour of the city of Birmingham. We had the opportunity to see places in history that are notorious for violence and hatred such as Kelly Ingram Park and the 16th Street Church. Visiting these places made me think about all of the sacrifices that Civil Right’s activists have made. It made me question the overall tone of the movement. It seems that the events that we remember most are the ones that are filled with violence and severe inequality.
These thoughts filled my mind until I sat down for dinner at a great BBQ place in the city of Birmingham. I sat with my classmates as well as our tour guide’s son, Barry. Barry is a junior at Auburn University and is probably one of the nicest and funniest people I have met on our entire trip. At first, our conversation centered on our differences and the differences between the north and the south.
We talked about the differences in food, music, and of course dialects. Throughout the entire conversation I was learning so much about his life and his day-to-day activities. It dawned on me throughout dinner that Barry and I have so much more in common than outwardly appears.
Isn’t that what the Civil Right’s Movement was all about? Dr. Martin Luther King and others led a movement not to raise one group above another but to show all races and all groups of people that we are all equal. We all have goals and values and ambitions and although we may look different we all share the common bond of striving to be the best that we can be.
The Civil Right’s Movement is so much more than a fight for equality. It is a fight for a change in the status quo. Without the movement where would we be today? Would we still have segregation? Would Barry and I have had to eaten in different restaurants?
It may be difficult to imagine what life would be like without the courage of the Civil Right’s Movement and it’s leaders, but it is even harder to imagine not being able to become friends with people because they physically appear different than myself. I recognize that this country still has a ways to go but this country has also come very far in the past 60 years. I am proud to call myself an American and I am proud of all the hard work that generations of people have contributed to the fight for equality.
This trip has been so much more than an educational experience; it has been an unforgettable eye opening adventure with an incredible group of people.
I haven’t laughed as hard all year as I did tonight.
After a steady drive from Selma, AL to Birmingham we visited the Civil Right’s Institute and had an incredibly informative tour of the city of Birmingham. We had the opportunity to see places in history that are notorious for violence and hatred such as Kelly Ingram Park and the 16th Street Church. Visiting these places made me think about all of the sacrifices that Civil Right’s activists have made. It made me question the overall tone of the movement. It seems that the events that we remember most are the ones that are filled with violence and severe inequality.
These thoughts filled my mind until I sat down for dinner at a great BBQ place in the city of Birmingham. I sat with my classmates as well as our tour guide’s son, Barry. Barry is a junior at Auburn University and is probably one of the nicest and funniest people I have met on our entire trip. At first, our conversation centered on our differences and the differences between the north and the south.
We talked about the differences in food, music, and of course dialects. Throughout the entire conversation I was learning so much about his life and his day-to-day activities. It dawned on me throughout dinner that Barry and I have so much more in common than outwardly appears.
Isn’t that what the Civil Right’s Movement was all about? Dr. Martin Luther King and others led a movement not to raise one group above another but to show all races and all groups of people that we are all equal. We all have goals and values and ambitions and although we may look different we all share the common bond of striving to be the best that we can be.
The Civil Right’s Movement is so much more than a fight for equality. It is a fight for a change in the status quo. Without the movement where would we be today? Would we still have segregation? Would Barry and I have had to eaten in different restaurants?
It may be difficult to imagine what life would be like without the courage of the Civil Right’s Movement and it’s leaders, but it is even harder to imagine not being able to become friends with people because they physically appear different than myself. I recognize that this country still has a ways to go but this country has also come very far in the past 60 years. I am proud to call myself an American and I am proud of all the hard work that generations of people have contributed to the fight for equality.
This trip has been so much more than an educational experience; it has been an unforgettable eye opening adventure with an incredible group of people.