-Kristen Garrity
The past two days that we have spent in Alabama have been incredible. I feel like I have learned so much in such a short amount of time. Both Montgomery and Selma have shed new light on the Civil Right’s Movement. I feel as though I have gained an entirely new perspective on the movement and the people who were courageous enough to be a part of it. In both Montgomery and Selma there is still evidence of segregation, racism, and a past filled with hatred and violence.
Yesterday as we drove through Montgomery I could not help but notice all of the monuments and testaments to the Confederacy and its leaders within the Civil War. Throughout the city there were blue historical signs. These signs acknowledged monumental events and people in the Civil Right’s Movement such as Rosa Parks and King’s speech at the state capital building. The signs also acknowledged the president of the Confederacy’s house as well as the area where slaves were sold and purchased. The ironic part is that some of these signs were within feet of one another.
Selma was very similar. The city of Selma has a rich history in both the Civil War and the Civil Right’s Movement. As we toured around the city today by both bus and by foot it seemed that we were time traveling from the era of the Civil War to the 1960s and the strength of the Civil Right’s Movement. We saw the building that slave traders kept slaves before they were sold as well as the court house that hundreds of African Americans stood in line at to gain their right to vote. It seems almost surreal to believe that a city could recognize both their Civil War heroes as well as their Civil Right’s heroes all on the same block.
It got me thinking to myself, should we recognize people in history who have wreaked havoc on our country? Is it right that when you go to the cemetery in Selma there is a monument in tribute to Nathan Bedford Forrest, a prominent figure of the Klu Klux Klan? Is it okay that many southern cities and towns still fly the Confederate flag? To be honest I don’t have the answers to these questions.
I have gone back and forth on different answers and I can never seem to draw solid conclusions for either side. In one way I feel that symbols of hate or people who led hate filled lives should never be memorialized but then I remember that this great country of ours promotes the ultimate freedom, freedom of speech. Whether we agree with the cause or not, millions of Americans have laid down their lives to fight for what they believe to be right. America has a rich history that many times isn’t too enjoyable to recall. We have a strong history of violence, persecution, hatred, and inequality. I do however believe that it is important that we study those events and those times in hopes of making our future brighter and better. Without the hatred and persecution we would not have the perseverance and triumph.
I feel truly blessed to be able to visit places like Selma and Montgomery that have a rich history for both the good and the bad. Although I don’t have the answers to how we should acknowledge our past, I do think it is important that we continue to pass on the stories and the knowledge that we have in hopes that future generations understand how far this country has come and how far it still has to go.
The past two days that we have spent in Alabama have been incredible. I feel like I have learned so much in such a short amount of time. Both Montgomery and Selma have shed new light on the Civil Right’s Movement. I feel as though I have gained an entirely new perspective on the movement and the people who were courageous enough to be a part of it. In both Montgomery and Selma there is still evidence of segregation, racism, and a past filled with hatred and violence.
Yesterday as we drove through Montgomery I could not help but notice all of the monuments and testaments to the Confederacy and its leaders within the Civil War. Throughout the city there were blue historical signs. These signs acknowledged monumental events and people in the Civil Right’s Movement such as Rosa Parks and King’s speech at the state capital building. The signs also acknowledged the president of the Confederacy’s house as well as the area where slaves were sold and purchased. The ironic part is that some of these signs were within feet of one another.
Selma was very similar. The city of Selma has a rich history in both the Civil War and the Civil Right’s Movement. As we toured around the city today by both bus and by foot it seemed that we were time traveling from the era of the Civil War to the 1960s and the strength of the Civil Right’s Movement. We saw the building that slave traders kept slaves before they were sold as well as the court house that hundreds of African Americans stood in line at to gain their right to vote. It seems almost surreal to believe that a city could recognize both their Civil War heroes as well as their Civil Right’s heroes all on the same block.
It got me thinking to myself, should we recognize people in history who have wreaked havoc on our country? Is it right that when you go to the cemetery in Selma there is a monument in tribute to Nathan Bedford Forrest, a prominent figure of the Klu Klux Klan? Is it okay that many southern cities and towns still fly the Confederate flag? To be honest I don’t have the answers to these questions.
I have gone back and forth on different answers and I can never seem to draw solid conclusions for either side. In one way I feel that symbols of hate or people who led hate filled lives should never be memorialized but then I remember that this great country of ours promotes the ultimate freedom, freedom of speech. Whether we agree with the cause or not, millions of Americans have laid down their lives to fight for what they believe to be right. America has a rich history that many times isn’t too enjoyable to recall. We have a strong history of violence, persecution, hatred, and inequality. I do however believe that it is important that we study those events and those times in hopes of making our future brighter and better. Without the hatred and persecution we would not have the perseverance and triumph.
I feel truly blessed to be able to visit places like Selma and Montgomery that have a rich history for both the good and the bad. Although I don’t have the answers to how we should acknowledge our past, I do think it is important that we continue to pass on the stories and the knowledge that we have in hopes that future generations understand how far this country has come and how far it still has to go.