Civil Rights Pilgrimage Day 3: Advocacy
- My pilgrimage partner Amy wrote this post.
I awoke this yesterday morning to a door being locked and little Calvin barking ferociously. Katie rolled over and said, “I am almost afraid to move!” Calvin, my brother’s new dog, is about 15 pounds of self-defense. This rescue dog does not trust strangers, especially ones in his home. After being generously provided housing for our stay in Atlanta before the MLK museum, Katie and I realized how much joy and love a dog can bring into a home. Both of us have recently lost our puppies. A fact is very fresh on Katie’s mind due to the recent losses of Buttercup and Buddy, and surprisingly for me as well. Even though Ginger passed away in December and I had the opportunity to play rope one last time with her the night before, whenever I come home, I catch myself knocking crumbs onto the floor thinking that she will come and lick them up. Or I open the door to the basement, expectantly awaiting her bounding steps to come and greet me with kisses.
In general though, Ginger is the only loss I have experienced of a being that was in my life daily for years. I have never lost a sibling, close friend, or parent. For a dog to mean so much to me, I cannot imagine how much a sister or a brother being lost unexpectedly would affect me. Today, Katie and I went to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Atlanta and the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Civil Rights Institute, and Kelly Ingram Park in downtown Birmingham. In every place that we visited, monuments stand proud in memory of those who unjustly and unexpectedly lost their lives. In reflecting on how much I could love an animal, I recognize that humans carry dignity and personality that elevates the human race. In light of these ideas, the monuments encountered today take on a whole new meaning.
First, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center focused on the life of MLK. From his background to his death and legacy, MLK was portrayed in a beautiful fashion. His eloquent words and convicting speeches were sometimes a part of different aspects of the exhibits. His drive led him to success at a young age and his passion kept him forever involved in the movement. In typical Civil Rights history classes, professors and teachers often stop after the Voting Rights Act of 1965. However, King committed himself fully to justice and the need to end poverty of all groups, especially the socioeconomically oppressed workers. It was during this time that he was gunned down. King unrelentingly demanded that people act. He knew that conditions were not perfect, and he was willing to fight to change the system in order to see change. Today I realized how integral this one leader was to the movement. While I had wished that his flaws would have been discussed to make his efforts seem attainable, the struggle to end economic oppression has not been tackled.
The second compelling moment today came at Sixteenth Street Baptist church. Four little girls lost their lives one Sunday morning due pure maliciousness. And in response, America came to realize the dire situation of many parts of the South. Many more began to mobilize after September 15th, 1963 to fight for the right to vote and to live in one world. The quote on their memorial says, “May we be reconciled to one another.” I feel that this allusion to scripture portrays the truth of our current society. Furthermore, this idea pinpoints the conflict that Katie and I felt yesterday with civil rights as being portrayed as an exclusive history. We are all in the movement of life with different opinions, but there is room for healing. There is space for forgiveness. The anguish over these four girls showed that all races could come together to ban the ideas of hate and violence spread by racists.
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