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We started out the day by attending the Monumental Baptist Church with Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles. We had previously met Reverend Kyles at the National Civil Rights Museum the day before, which was a wonderful experience in itself. At the service, he only preached briefly, as a guest pastor was in town who assisted with the service. Their speaking style was engaging and demonstrated their passion for their faith. After the service, we were invited to join the rest of the congregation in a post-service dinner (the equivalent of lunch). The meal consisted of traditional Southern foods such as fried chicken, collard greens, cornbread, and sweet tea. It was very filling! The hospitality of the church was so touching. Many members, especially the youth, took the time to greet us and welcome us into their church. Towards the end of our visit, Reverend Kyles took us into his office to show us his vast display of articles and pictures of him with many influential people such as former U.S. president Bill Clinton, former South African president Nelson Mandela, Dr. King, and many other significant leaders. In the afternoon we headed over to the Stax Museum. The Stax Recording Company worked with both African-American and White musicians. It was interesting to see the indirect effects of the Civil Rights Movement in the entertainment industry. Although, the museum offered a lot of valuable historical information, it was more fun to see all the artifacts such as old clothing artists wore at concerts, vintage records, and the outdated recording equipment they used back in the day. Later in the day the group relaxed at the mall, on the side of the pool, or in our rooms. This trip has been very exhausting, both emotionally and physically. Our group has had many thought-provoking experiences which have allowed us to grow. These experiences have brought us together and we have grown so close as group it will be sad to leave the South and each other but we are sure that great things are to come upon our return to Seattle. After a long day, a dinner of pizza and soda gave us the energy to participate in our last evening session. We discussed the highlights of our trips, our (new) views on racism, and what we had learned from others in the group. We also divided into groups to work on presentations we will be giving at Franklin and Mercer Island High Schools, as well as multiple Rotary Clubs. These presentations, which we will continue to work on Monday morning, should be useful in conveying the great experiences we’ve had in the Deep South. It’s been eleven days since we’ve left Seattle and we have learned so much in such a short period of time. We have many stories and thoughts to share with you, our families and friends, when we return tomorrow night. Thank you for reading the MCSP 2007 blog and we hope you enjoyed hearing about our trip! See you all very, very soon! Megan Harrison & Zoe Nemerever
 Current Location: Memphis, TN
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[Leaders' Note: Charmaine taught us a hilarious game where you look at a cup on your forehead; spin 25 times; and then drop the cup and try to stomp on it. Thanks Charmaine!]
Yesterday we went to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. I was overwhelmed by the amount of information that was displayed on the walls, especially how the Civil Rights Movement in fact started long before the 50’s and 60’s. There were many court cases before Brown vs. Board of Education, and even before Plessey vs. Ferguson. Yet I was also surprised at how much I actually did know, and how we’ve grown in our knowledge throughout this trip. Every time I see a quote from Jim Lawson, I can’t help but think once again that I’ve actually met him and talked to him in person. Also, the sit-ins that seemed to happen spontaneously were in reality well thought out and planned in advance. This movement definitely did not happen overnight. The fight has gone on and will continue for years.
By far the most powerful and moving part of this museum was the hotel room, preserved almost exactly the way it was before, the night Martin Luther King died on the balcony at the Lorraine Motel. As I pressed my hands against the glass and peered out, recalling the famous picture of King sprawled on the cement and his colleagues pointing frantically in the direction of the killer, I was moved by the strangely surreal and yet incredibly real feelings I had standing there. Martin Luther King had died here, at this very spot. I wanted to cry, yet all I could to do was stare at that balcony. I didn’t want to leave.
 After what seemed like a very cursory two hour tour of the museum, we met up with Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles, the only man still alive out of the people who were with Martin Luther King that night on the balcony. He began with inspiring us all to be the best person we could be, and telling us to hold on to our dreams. Then, he told the story of being there that night, like any other night, talking “preacher talk” with King in the hotel room. He was fairly brief on the details, but I guess in a way, that was enough. Instead, he expanded more on the fact that they could try and “kill the dreamer, but they couldn’t kill the dream”. Reverend Kyles has spent his days trying to keep Martin Luther King’s dream alive. I was so honored to be in the presence of such a man. We also went to Slave Haven, which was a house that was part of the Underground Railroad around the time of the Civil War. We actually saw the trap door the slaves went through to crawl down under the house and enter the cellar through tiny holes in the brick wall. As we entered the cellar, it was difficult to imagine slaves actually being housed in such a confined space and that they weren’t discovered.
Our last trip of the day was to Beale Street, a must see in Memphis, with its novelty gift shops, bars, and restaurants with delicious BBQ and loud live music. I loved the atmosphere there, especially with the neon signs blinking everywhere, and the funky items we found in the gift shops. Afterwards, we all rode the trolley back to the hotel.
I feel like we’ve bonded so much during this trip, and I hope we continue to be inspired to make change with all that we know now. Honestly, this is an experience I will never forget. Love, Charmaine
 Current Location: Memphis, TN
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Hello, My name is Nicole Czubin and this will be my second blog entry for this years Multi Cultural Scholars program! Yesterday, July 4th, 2007, we actually got to sleep in a little, which was just in time. Due to the holiday we were more leisurely and had no engagements therefore, it was a travel day. We left Montgomery, Alabama at around 11:30 a.m. and reached Jackson, Mississippi at about 5:00 p.m. (total estimation).
As the group decided and brainstormed ideas of how to celebrate this “Independence Day” it came my turn for some commentary. I, personally, have made the decision not to celebrate “Independence Day”. So, my reasoning stems from my cultural background. I am bi-racial and have been raised by my white mother who is culturally black. I was taught at a young age to use the day as a celebration of family, friends, and good barbeque. Although, I love how most people are very patriotic about our country, I think we should consider all aspects of the cultures that make up the United States. One thing we must keep in mind is that Black America did not gain their independence on July 4th, 1776 along with many other minorities of our country. To this day, in the year 2007, most minorities are still fighting for their freedom. So I ask that the next year on July 4th, and every “Independence Day” to follow, you consider, remember, and respect all of those who are still fighting for peace and freedom all over the world. Needless to say, I did not celebrate as some of the other students but, as they went to see the fireworks, I stayed back with a few others to view a great film, Freedom Writers. Since yesterday was such a short day and not quite as eventful as some of our other days I will be writing about today’s events, July 5 th, 2007. The Multi Cultural Scholars had two wonderful treats for today. First we set out at 8:30 a.m. to be in the presence of a great investigative journalist/reporter. Jerry Mitchell walked down the stairs of the building housing the editorial process’ of the Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi’s leading newspaper, not looking a bit different than pictures from his earlier years. As he guided us to the training room, where we had our briefing of his history and roles in “the movement”, I could not believe that I would be in his presence.  He began to speak, and part of me was honestly wondering if it was going to be rather boring, only until he said he would be sharing some stories. His voice was captivating, his stories were surreal, his presence was warm/welcoming, and his work, exactly what we need to get cold blooded murders off of our streets. Could you possibly imagine, white or black, living two blocks away from a klans men responsible for brutal deaths and beatings of African Americans? Well, believe it, they may not live close to you physically but, they live that close to some in the south. Killers, walking the streets, shopping in the same supermarkets that your kids wander alone at times, maybe even the same mechanic but, that killer feels no remorse or mercy for the crimes they have committed. Because of Jerry Mitchell’s great work, from the years of 1986 to now, thirty people have been arrested for crimes they committed and cold cases dating back to the ‘60s. The even better news is that some of his articles, interviews and evidence has put 23 of those people behind bars. We, as a people, can thank him for his work but, I’m not convinced that thanking him will be enough to have social change. That’s when Hollis Watkins comes into the picture.  Looking at the blood on the driveway of Medgar Evers' home, voting rights activist.  He, Hollis Watkins, invites us to his offices of Southern Echo to share some history, discuss the present, and express plans for the future. He tells us all about how he went to jail, where 14 men were but into a cell meant for housing two, then those same 14 put into solitary confinement in a cell room enough to house one (6ft by 6ft). This man went on a ten and a half day hunger strike in prison, while practicing non-violence and all of this for the sake of voting.  This is barely the tip of the iceberg. We spent nearly an hour and a half discussing his upbringing, his role in the movement, asking questions, and topping it all off with some freedom songs. As for the present, he has founded and served as the president of Southern Echo to work on many things in Mississippi area to help the progression of justice in the Deep South. When asked what he feel we should work on or what needs the most work he brought up the public school system. Public Schools are not just an issue in the south, but an issue that drastically affects our country and society. Every year, it seems that we loose more and more money to educate the children of our nation, and unfortunately, minorities and those who live in low income families are being disadvantaged. Not only are our Public School systems in shambles but, we have 9 million children living with no healthcare, many of whom have never seen a doctor our dentist since birth. Many seem to believe or expect the movement to be over, I’m here to tell you it is not. Everyday there is someone fighting for their civil rights, for their freedom, and for peace. Everyday there is someone turning their backs, closing their eyes, and making more money. As much as we want to see, hear, and speak no evil, it’s there and it is inevitable. So, I pose the questions: What will I do? What will you do? Most importantly, What will WE do? “…IF THERE IS NO STUGGLE, THERE IS NO PROGRESS.” Originally said by Fredrick Douglass Later re-stated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Love, Nicole  Current Location: Jackson, Mississippi
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It's getting harder and harder for the students to know how to explain what is happening on this trip, especially as we get deeper into it. This day was by far the most intense emotionally (and is that way every year, for a reason you will see shortly). I'll just give you a breif update on what the students did and experienced, and include some pictures so you can continue to feel connected. In the morning, we drove from Birmingham to Selma, and visited the small Voting Rights Museum. While there, we got to hear firsthand how the fight for voting rights came to a climax with the killing of Jimmy Lee Jackson (a young protester protecting his mother and grandfather from state patrol violence) came to a climax with the Selma to Montgomery march. You remember this one: peaceful marchers in Selma walked accross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, ostensibly to march to Montgomery, but knowing that the most they would do that day was pray, be turned around by the troopers, and march back to church to regroup. No one expected that the troopers would box them in and turn on the peaceful crowd with tear gas, clubs, and horses -- old people and children alike.  The failure of that march propelled Dr. King to come to Selma to lead another march, this one with Federal protection. Soon after the march was completed, the Voting Rights Act was signed. The students were compelled by the documents and photographs in the museum.  After our tour, the former director and founder of the museum, Joann Bland, spoke to us about being an 11-year old activist (who had been to jail 13 times by that age). She marched in Bloody Sunday, and in the entire Selma to Montgomery march. She also spoke of showing Barack Obama around the museum earlier this year, and walking across the bridge with him and Hilary Clinton. She was beaming with hope, saying that everything she had fought for was encompassed in that moment of walking across the bridge with both viable Black and Female presidential candidates. It was a joy to hear from her. Afterwards we participated in the Slavery Museum simulation. This was the overwhelmingly intense period of the day. No one was hurt, of course, but throughout the simulation, students felt humiliation, anger, impotence, and extreme sadness. It's hard to write about what the experience was like or what they went through, but suffice to say that days later, students say they are changed, now knowing what their lives are really like, what others really went through, and what still others continue to go through today. Afterwards the students were emotionally exhausted, but managed to make it back to Montgomery and tour Dr. King's Parsonage. They walked through the house, seeing where a bomb hit his porch, and witnessing where the King family received guests, had phone calls with the President, and met with Civil Rights leaders.  Since then we've had some debreifing discussions about the experiences on that day, and though the students have been honest about their overwhelm and feelings of inspiration, I imagine they'll be processing this for a long time to come. Love, Alison Current Location: Selma, AL
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I'm Joanna Sibounheuang and I am one of the multicultural scholars. Today we finally arrived at Montgomery. We went to the Rosa Parks Museum. This museum was like no other, it was actually the most amazing one I have gone to. This museum had caught my attention and even though there some information that I had already knew about, it still inspired me. I love the introduction of the museum where there was a screen inside the similar bus that Rosa Park had rode on, it felt like as if you where there to witness it. The most incredible thing we did beside the tour at the Rosa Park Museum, was meeting with Mrs. Carr or known as Johnnie Carr. For the people who don't know her, she is one of Rosa Parks' close friends. It was such an honor to be meeting with her and having her share the useful detailed information about the Civil Right Movement and Rosa Parks, but also about the choices and changes that we should or at least need to understand and try to make a better nation for everyone. It felt awesome and touching to have the honor to hug Mrs. Carr.   After the museum, we went to go eat at Miss Sophia's Barbeque Pit. We were really excited to experience Soul food. We had chicken, spaghetti , corn bread, salad, macaroni, delicious ice tea and many more yummy food. While we were eating, there was a rain storm. It was pouring hard, there was thunderstorm and lighting but it didn't last that long. [AND we heard from two men who had snuck out of their houses to hear Dr. King speak in Montgomery -- and thus were trapped in the church when Whites rioted outside and President Kennedy had to Federalize the National Guard. Another man had driven into a riot where Freedom Riders were beaten, and placed them in his ambulance and found them a hospital that would accept them. Pretty amazing stories.]   After that we went to the Southern Poverty Law Center. One word: intense. We watched this movie about people who passed away and were not recognized or mention during the Civil Right Movement. This move had affected me and I'm pretty sure it had effected other people in our group. Let just it was very intense that you had to be there to witness it yourself. We went to this meeting room, where this lady who have given us a tour, showed us a website that had featured the active hate groups in the United State. This website blew me away. I did not think we would still have hatred people in the 21 st century. It made me think that our nation still need more help on facing/dealing with racism. This website is so interesting that you just need to check it out for yourself. The website is
I thought today was a passionate educational experience. There was so much emotion today and the best closure was to talk and share about our thoughts and feelings and of course to enjoy our stay and the free time at the Homewood Suites.
Joanna
 Current Location: Birmingham, AL
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I think the quote the comes to my mind when I think of the last couple of days is one by Mahatma Gandhi (so appropriate as he inspired Mr. Lawson!) "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." My favorite thing about working with students and encountering uncomfortable, inspiring and touching experiences are the reflections that come once we all have a chance to let our experiences sink in. After our day spent in Birmingham at the 16th Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park and the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum,we all gathered this evening to talk and reflect on the day. I think the conversation that followed brought us all together on a new level. As we sat in the room, I felt the comfort and ease the students have found around each other. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of personal jokes and we all channeled this energy into an amazing conversation. Suzzanne put words up on the wall such as "joyful, introspective, satisfied, excited, inspired and conflicted." We were asked to consider our experience in the church today and stand beneath the word we felt most described how we felt about the service. I myself was torn between conflicted and joyful. I had to seperate the experience between a personal, spiritual one and a learning experience. As a student, (although I am a recent college graduate, I will forever remain a dedicated student) experiencing the culture of the south, trying to understand how religion, faith and spirituality in general played a role in the Civil Rights Movement, the service was a very joyous occasion. The congregation was filled with energy, life, love and excitement to hear and spread their Word of God. You could see the smiles, hear the passion, and feel the joy in the room. On the other hand, as we have representation from several other religions and church-going experiences, I was conflicted during the actual service because I did not know how others would be feeling...  Other students were conflicted too... yet others were inspired. We had a conversation in which we were all free to share our personal and honest opinions and experiences and they were so different. For some, the service was inspiring and rekindled a faith and a hope in the hearts of some students. For others, including myself, the service created conflicted feelings because while we would like to think the pastor had an open mind, he did say some uncomfortable things at the end near communion that made some students feel alienated in their faiths. For the rest of us, our sensitivity to the harsh statements created a conflict inside us-did we take communion as a personal testament of our faith between ourselves and God, or do we stay seated and support the students who were not prepared to take communion, to show we did not support the opinion of the pastor in that regard? Nonetheless, we learned so much from each other's perspectives and comments. One student shared the experience she had at her Baptist church at home and I was so glad she did, to show how church experiences can vary. I was deeply impressed and touched by the courage that it took our Jewish students to share their experience in the church and their comments really fueled a good part of the conversation where we talked about the inclusiveness of others balancing our own religion, faith and viewpoints. A few good points were made: 1. We cannot rely solely on the opinions of our spiritual leaders. We must couple that with our own intellect and our active minds to figure out what and how we should apply the messages and the teachings our spiritual leaders, in any faith, give us. (I was impressed by the ability of all of the students to draw out the meaningful message in the sermon and their ability to apply the message to their own lives, religious affiliation and connections aside!) 2. Religion played a huge role in the Civil Rights Movement as pastors and preachers motivated and inspired others to act and fight back in just and nonviolent ways. However, even Martin Luther King Jr. himself mentions Jews and Gentiles... this was an example of how the Civil Rights Movement is not just about one race, one color, one religion, but is symbolic of the equality of all people. 3. Some students expressed surprise that the events that happened at the church 40 years ago, the bombings and the deaths of 4 darling girls, were not mentioned. In a way though, this reflects the ability of the congregation and the community not to forget these events, but to rise above them. I was truly touched by the reflections we had upon our experiences. The respect the students show in paying attention and being willing to experience something different and to witness something outside their beliefs and comfort zones is remarkable and the thought and courage everyone had to share their experiences... I am impressed. Thank you to each and everyone who shared their thoughts, opinions and honest feelings. I learned so much from you today, I know we all did. I continue to be amazed by the quality of your reflections and the hope and compassion I hear in the careful words you speak. So much was said...In relation to Gandhi's quote, I can see the comittment the students have to learning as much as they can from our experiences and from each other. I have witnessed and participated in many meaningful conversations thus far, and this was the first large group one we had.It is evident that we all have developed a passion for understanding what our experiences mean in a broad context and allowing ourselves to be touched and impressed upon by our sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes emotional encounters. In fact, as I sit here writing this blog, I hear one of the students in my room sleepily say... "I truly loved today!" Thank you all, so much, for sharing, thinking, putting energy into learning and asking questions today...I hope you never stop. Love, Krista Nicole Fink Intern/Program Associate
 Current Location: Birmingham, AL
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Today, our group woke up at the crack of dawn to embark on our long journey (a whole THREE hours) to Birmingham, Alabama. Upon arrival in Birmingham, we did three things. First, we attended a church service at the 16th Street Baptist Church and later got a glimpse of the “Memorial Nook” which was created in memory of the four little girls who died on September 15, 1963.
Our next stop was a park across the street by the name of Kelly Ingram Park. This park is the reason I decided to enter my two cents into the blog today even though it was not my assigned day to write about. This park, although only covering a small street block, contained some of the most touching statue memorials I have ever seen. It was a sensational experience. Everybody has seen these statues in documentaries, movies and pictures throughout their lives, but when you are there, standing right under one, it is as if you are seeing it for the very first time.
The first statue is presented at the park entrance. It is a sculpture of Martin Luther King, Jr. or Martin King as Mrs. Risby and Dr. Lawson referred to him. It was the first life-sized sculpture I had ever seen of Dr. King. Standing, looking up at the statue, it was like he was really there. I swear I could feel his presence and it seemed to breathe a sense of importance unto the park.  I entered the park by myself at first while everyone else was retrieving their lunch, seizing the opportunity to observe and take pictures of the monuments without any disturbance. As I made my way to the next piece of art, I heard a man say, “Student, you will want to view it from the outside first if you are interested in understanding the true meaning and power of this piece.” I turned to see a man with a cane walking towards me. This man then went on to explain in great detail every inch of the monument, pointing out details I surely would have missed without his guidance. I took his advice and moved to the outside of the sculpture and what I saw was amazing. While looking in from the outside, the two children appeared to be behind bars and below them, just barely visible through the bars was the phrase, “I ain’t afraid of your jail.” When I returned to the path, this nameless tour guide told me to look up. Above me, written up-side down were the words “Segregation is a sin.” Assuming he caught the puzzled look on my face, he explained the reasoning behind engraving the phrase up-side down; Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth had been arrested as so many other civil rights activists were, and he had been hung by his ankles, beaten and left to die. However, he did not die and upon regaining consciousness wrote on the wall that very phrase. This sculpture, accompanied by the story, sent chills up my spine. Just by standing on that pathway, I felt that I had traveled to jail with those two kids portrayed in the sculpture. However, I would not have been standing strong and saying I was unafraid, I would be crying out for my mommy to put it simply. I could also feel the anger building up inside me, how could the police have arrested these young, peaceful children?  The next statue along the path was the ever so famous one of the policeman grabbing a black boy with one hand and holding onto the leash of his attack dog while it lunged towards the boy. The very same man had become the tour guide for the entire group now and explained that the boy’s name was Chris. He was one of the many peaceful student protesters who got brutally attacked by police. The man asked why we thought the boy was leaning back and the obvious answer to all of us was to get out of reach of the scary dog. However, this man had a different explanation. He explained that the boy was proving his dedication to the nonviolence of the Civil Rights Movement. He was demonstrating how wrong the police were to be attacking a boy who was doing them no harm. The fierceness of the dog scared me, and I was only face to face with a statue.  There are four remaining monuments that I could talk about, but I am only going to discuss one more. Every one of us has seen the film clip of the fire fighters spraying the children with fire hoses because it is such a horrific thing to do. Well, that happened right here in Birmingham, Alabama and the city created a sculpture so no one would ever forget the event. The sculpture is of a boy and a girl, huddled against the wall protecting their faces with two hoses (propped up and comparable to machine guns) pointing straight at them. I had help taking this picture; another man who seemed to know the park well told me that pictures always turn out well if you take it from behind one of the hoses. This meant I would capture the view the firemen had while aiming the powerful hose. From that angle, I could not understand how any person could point something so dangerous at children who were defenseless and harmless.  The park itself was beautiful to look at and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to visit it and I believe everyone in the group can agree with me on that. We finished up our day in Birmingham at the Civil Rights Institute across the street which was just as amazing. However, this is not my day to cover, but I just had to record my memories so I would not forget how much this day touched me. --Lisa K B E  Current Location: Birmingham, AL
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 Yawns echoed through the cars as we all climbed into the vans at seven in the morning. This morning we went on a three hour trip from Nashville, Tennessee to Birmingham, Alabama. At 10:30 when we arrived here in Birmingham, we worshiped at the historical, 16 th Street Baptist Church. Over the course of the past 137 years, this church served as an important physical and emotional home for much of the black community in Birmingham. In both times of hardship and opulence, the church has remained. However, in hope of destroying both the church and the hopes of the black community, members of the Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16 th Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963. Sadly, four young girls were killed in the bombing.  When I walked into the church, a chill immediately ran down my spine. The church that I had just entered played a significant role in one of the most important movements in the United States. As the service started I wasn’t paying as much attention to the sermon as I was to the history of the Church. However, as the service continued, I was astonished by the energy which reverberated around the room. Although I am Jewish, I had a great time experiencing the livelihood and uniqueness of the Baptist service. And even though I did not drink the wine or eat the cracker, the members of the church treated all of us like a part of their everlasting family in the Black Birmingham community. It was heart wrenching as I looked at a few young girls running around on the pews of the upper level. Thinking about how those energetic, merry young girls were the same age as those who had lost their lives in the very same church.  We continued to go to the civil rights museum across the street from the 16 th Street Baptist Church. I found this museum to be a great experience as it helped me realize where I actually am. I am in the south. I am in the place where some of the greatest leaders of all time spoke their hearts out. I am in the place where millions of African Americans fought to gain equality. I am in the home of the most important movement in the history of the United States.
I want to end with a quote that our friend at the park told us. “The civil rights movement was not about race, it was about universal equality.” Oh, by the way, it was ridiculously hot today.
--Matthew  Current Location: Birmingham, AL
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This morning at 16th Street Baptist Church, I was struck by all the little girls in pretty dresses running around the church. It was an odd feeling seeing them scamper around their church home, and know that it was girls as beloved as these ones who were killed in the 1963 bombing. It made me think again about the anger the community felt. In Spike Lee's documentary, Diane Nash remarks that Birmingham Blacks felt like, "Now they are killing our children. This will not stand."
But as she said in the film, they collectively decided that they could either go to war, or make sure that every African-American in Birmingham could vote, so they could vote those who were upholding segregation right out of office. They chose the latter.
I've been thinking a lot about non-violence today. We walked through the Civil Rights Museum, essentially a fantastic multi-media experience of the Movement. As I walked through ghostly figures of people spouting hatred and fear for those who were standing up for their rights, and as I came face to face with a KKK costume and the media images of lynched and beaten civil rights workers, I felt real fear. I realized that prison bars and clubs and rocks really make me feel like evil can win. Jim Lawson's voice to us yesterday felt especially poignant at that moment; he told us, in his calm and quiet way, that evil will not prevail. That justice can and will win. And that we can be the ones to bring that about. He believed it in 1963, and he believes it for us now. His confidence makes me talk back to that voice that says I could never do what they did.
Walking through the museum, I realized something else truly disturbing. Here I am, a white American female who has devoted myself to race relations. But I realized that there is something deep inside me that always says, "Well, at least the USA was never as bad as South Africa's Aparteid." Or, "At least we in the US never had a Nazi Holocaust." But walking through the museum today, I realized that we ARE just as bad as those other countries. Slavery, the annihilation of Native Americans, the Internment of Japanese-American citizens, to name a few, are not any better than any other horrific human rights violations. That's a new thing for me to admit to myself. I guess I really am a patriot (wanting to believe the best about my country). What I'm beginning to realize is that the best about my country comes from those pushing back against the status quo.
As we sat in church, the pastor spoke on John 18: 10-11, where the Roman soldiers come to arrest Jesus and Peter, wanting to defend his innocent teacher, cuts off a soldier's ear. I thought, how appropriate! A sermon on non-violence is sure to follow. We've had some interesting conversations in the past couple of days about how non-violence is not passivity, but a determination to commit to creative, strategic action that causes those in power to exaggerate their injustices. To confront injustice with justice, as MLK might say. The pastor didn't exactly go in that direction, but I thought it was fortuitous nonetheless.
Finally, we visited Kelley Ingraham Park. To be honest, it was much less powerful for me than last year. Last year, the church was full of worshippers, and the park glistened with the four fountains that represent the four lost girls. This year, the church was only half-full, and the fountains were barren. I probably shouldn't think too hard about what it all means, but it was definitely a different experience.
The students have a lot to say about their experiences today, so I won't try to speak for them. I'll let them do that themselves. Look forward to hearing from them....
Alison
 Current Location: Birmingham, AL
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The students are currently watching Spike Lee's documentary, "Four Little Girls" before they go to bed tonight. It should prepare them to visit the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL in the morning, where the church was bombed and four little girls were killed during the Civil Rights Movement.  This years' group is extremely close already. They are an impressive group of students: deep, thoughtful, and above all, excited about everything they are doing -- whether it's meeting an established civil rights leader, or navigating the Nashville Mall (this thing has four different NEIGHBORHOODS, people). Though they were tired after their long flights to Nashville, they woke up ready to go for our first day of college tours in the city. The college tours served a double purpose. The students were able to visit the campus of some Historically Black Colleges & Universities, to hear about admission. But they are also reading the book "The Children", and those three colleges provided some of the young students who became pivitol leaders in the Movement. It was exciting for them to finally get to walk along the paths that Diane Nash, Martin Luther King Jr., and James Lawson, among others, walked. To be honest, the students weren't overall impressed by TSU. We had a delightfully friendly tour guide who gave us an 1 1/2 hour lecture on the college, after which they were thoroughly hot and tired. They perked right up when they met their Fisk tour guide, though, the handsome, charming History major O'Brian, who also works at our hotel. These are the things you won't read about in the student blogs :)  We've had some interesting conversations since we've been here. Many people have remarked on Seattle being in the news lately, and commented on their disappointment with the Supreme Court decision that effectively is the anti-Brown vs. Board. The students, as you may have gathered from Zoe's blog, were enamored with Jim Lawson. If you haven't heard of this man, read up on him: he was and is one of the major architects and trainers of the movement, a teacher to nearly all of the names you are familiar with. The silence and reverence in the room as his quiet, calm voice spoke this morning was beautiful. Tonight, in our debreif discussion, the students got pretty deep with their comments. They were really struck by the central role religion and faith played in Jim Lawson's philosophies of nonviolence. They were also suprised by his eagerness to talk not only about the Civil Rights Movement, but about contemporary issues. They overall felt that he took their understanding deeper, and challenged them to think about how creative and visionary the students in the 50s and 60s had to be -- and thus how creative and visionary today's students might be called to be. Tomorrow morning, early, we leave Nashville and head to Birmingham to visit 16th Street Baptist, Kelley Ingraham Park, and the Civil Rights Museum. Keep reading and wish us luck! Alison Current Location: Nashville, TN
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