Civil Rights Walk, 16th Street Baptist Church, Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park (Gaston Hotel, Trailways Bus Station location) -- Listened to MLK's speeches: "The Address to the First Montgomery Improvement Association Mass Meeting" and "I Have a Dream"
We spent today in Birmingham, Alabama -- known as the most segregated city in the United States in the early 1960s. Here some of the most powerful and painful events of the Civil Rights Movement took place. Remember from yesterday, the initial Freedom Riders' trip was ended here after the beating they took in this city's bus station (we stopped by the street corner where that Trailways Station once stood). It is also here that some of the greatest victories took place, but at a significant cost.
We started our morning dodging the raindrops (yes, we wish we could send some of the rain to those of you wishing for it in Michigan) as we walked the Civil Rights Walk consisting of 15 historical markers placed at key points throughout the city telling the story of "Project - C" (C for Confrontation) which transformed this city. In the face of the injustice of segregation, the blacks of Birmingham confronted injustice peacefully and accepted the consequences. They walked into the public library and read until they were arrested. They gathered in the park until they were arrested. They went to City Hall to pray until they were arrested. They intended to fill the jail cells of Birmingham.
The leadership and motivation behind this crusade against segregation came from some unexpected corners. Most of the organization and motivation for this movement and for the sacrifice it took came from the church and its pastors who themselves willingly went to jail as well. Fred Shuttleworth, a pastor, was a huge force here in Birmingham and beyond. Towards the end of this crusade MLK himself marched on Palm Sunday in the face of a new edict forbidding marching on that day. It is during his 8-day stay behind bars in a Birmingham jail (we saw those bars today) that he wrote the powerful "Letters from a Birmingham Jail" which includes poignant lines such as "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" and "Justice too long delayed is justice denied". The place of the church front and center, which as been evident again and again, made me think about the place of the church community in our own lives (is it the place where we look for true direction in our daily life and motivation to transform our lives and our world) and about the message of our church (are we the mouthpiece calling out for transformative justice). What is the place and purpose of my church community in my life and in our world? Is it what it should be?
I was humbled and thrilled with the role that children played in the movement here in Birmingham. At one point through this long "Project - C" process the blacks of Birmingham were getting weary. Volunteers to march out and be jailed once again were getting more difficult to find. Money for bail was running short. It looked like the project might fail. It is then that the children stepped in. Thousands of children (mostly high school aged and some younger) took to the streets in organized marches and filled the jail cells of Birmingham. It is the children who chose to march when Police Chief Bull Conner was waiting for them with fire hoses (with 100 pounds per square inch of force) and german shepherds. If you are willing to take the time, read the story of the Birmingham Movement, especially the courage of the children, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_campaign. How young is too young to make a significant difference? Young people, don't wait to step forward for justice -- even in small ways. Sometimes we think we need to wait to until we are all grown up to be used by God. Perhaps that thinking causes us to miss the opportunities God designed for us, as children, to make a difference for Him.
Our time at 16th Street Baptist church where a bomb killed 4 young girls on a Sunday morning was sobering. These girls hadn't made the choice to put their lives the line, but their deaths brought the horror of injustice to light literally all around the world. Their deaths were a significant factor in the Civil Rights movement. You can read their story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing
Our afternoon drive from Birmingham to Montgomery was filled with the voice of MLK as we continue to listen to him motivate and inspire. Yesterday we heard his eulogy for the girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Today we heard his earliest speech as he addressed the organization here in Montgomery as they began their bus boycott in response to Rosa Park's arrest as well as his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington DC. What a powerful speaker! It raises a bit of envy in this preacher!
We spent today in Birmingham, Alabama -- known as the most segregated city in the United States in the early 1960s. Here some of the most powerful and painful events of the Civil Rights Movement took place. Remember from yesterday, the initial Freedom Riders' trip was ended here after the beating they took in this city's bus station (we stopped by the street corner where that Trailways Station once stood). It is also here that some of the greatest victories took place, but at a significant cost.
We started our morning dodging the raindrops (yes, we wish we could send some of the rain to those of you wishing for it in Michigan) as we walked the Civil Rights Walk consisting of 15 historical markers placed at key points throughout the city telling the story of "Project - C" (C for Confrontation) which transformed this city. In the face of the injustice of segregation, the blacks of Birmingham confronted injustice peacefully and accepted the consequences. They walked into the public library and read until they were arrested. They gathered in the park until they were arrested. They went to City Hall to pray until they were arrested. They intended to fill the jail cells of Birmingham.
The leadership and motivation behind this crusade against segregation came from some unexpected corners. Most of the organization and motivation for this movement and for the sacrifice it took came from the church and its pastors who themselves willingly went to jail as well. Fred Shuttleworth, a pastor, was a huge force here in Birmingham and beyond. Towards the end of this crusade MLK himself marched on Palm Sunday in the face of a new edict forbidding marching on that day. It is during his 8-day stay behind bars in a Birmingham jail (we saw those bars today) that he wrote the powerful "Letters from a Birmingham Jail" which includes poignant lines such as "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" and "Justice too long delayed is justice denied". The place of the church front and center, which as been evident again and again, made me think about the place of the church community in our own lives (is it the place where we look for true direction in our daily life and motivation to transform our lives and our world) and about the message of our church (are we the mouthpiece calling out for transformative justice). What is the place and purpose of my church community in my life and in our world? Is it what it should be?
I was humbled and thrilled with the role that children played in the movement here in Birmingham. At one point through this long "Project - C" process the blacks of Birmingham were getting weary. Volunteers to march out and be jailed once again were getting more difficult to find. Money for bail was running short. It looked like the project might fail. It is then that the children stepped in. Thousands of children (mostly high school aged and some younger) took to the streets in organized marches and filled the jail cells of Birmingham. It is the children who chose to march when Police Chief Bull Conner was waiting for them with fire hoses (with 100 pounds per square inch of force) and german shepherds. If you are willing to take the time, read the story of the Birmingham Movement, especially the courage of the children, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_campaign. How young is too young to make a significant difference? Young people, don't wait to step forward for justice -- even in small ways. Sometimes we think we need to wait to until we are all grown up to be used by God. Perhaps that thinking causes us to miss the opportunities God designed for us, as children, to make a difference for Him.
Our time at 16th Street Baptist church where a bomb killed 4 young girls on a Sunday morning was sobering. These girls hadn't made the choice to put their lives the line, but their deaths brought the horror of injustice to light literally all around the world. Their deaths were a significant factor in the Civil Rights movement. You can read their story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing
Our afternoon drive from Birmingham to Montgomery was filled with the voice of MLK as we continue to listen to him motivate and inspire. Yesterday we heard his eulogy for the girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Today we heard his earliest speech as he addressed the organization here in Montgomery as they began their bus boycott in response to Rosa Park's arrest as well as his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington DC. What a powerful speaker! It raises a bit of envy in this preacher!
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