I was not prepared.
I was not prepared to be pushed to the point of frustration, anger, resentment, and sadness on our Freedom Tour. Up until arriving in Alabama, I was vaguely familiar with most of the people and events that were connected with the Movement. However, I felt sort of disconnected from these events and the people involved. I saw the events as part of a historical quilt, patterned with various leaders in different states.
All of that changed when we arrived in Selma. On Tuesday, we arrived in Montgomery and visited the Southern Poverty Law Center, a fascinating museum that displayed some of the unsung heroes of the movement and where a few of us signed the Wall of Tolerance, pledging a life of commitment and service to the struggle for human rights.
However, our trip to Selma has probably been the most impactful stop on our tour thus far. We arrived there yesterday and first visited the National Voting Rights Museum. That experience left me speechless, wounded, but more importantly inspired. It was remarkable how the Bloody Sunday event that took place in March of 1965 was a result of the sacrifice and dedication to the movement and the belief of a true American democratic society. On the other hand, it pains me that the people on that violent journey literally died simply so that we can have the right to vote for our elected officials. And even still, many of my peers refuse to utilize that right that so many people fought for. Visiting the museum was difficult and frustrating, but taught me an invaluable message---The movement is not over.
Without seeming ludicrous, I honestly viewed the Civil Rights Movement as a specific time period where the leaders and marchers are glorified for their efforts and congratulated for their impact on society today. However, I did not have the impression that I could take part in the Civil Rights Movement in the year 2014. Selma taught me that segregation is alive, racism is alive, and injustice is alive. Therefore, I must fight until the dreams of the martyrs are actualized.
What I learned in Selma, is that the movement is in all of us. There is no need to believe that things won’t get better because anything built without love cannot last. With this newfound sense of inspiration and purpose, I have no choice but to move forward and carry on the movement in my daily life. As my title suggests, you can't spell movement without me.