Restart

I give in… I had grand ambitions of recounting all my hiking adventures from the summer and then chronologically documenting my road trip. Alas, I’ve given up on that ideal and am just going to start posting current happenings.

Rain Storm

About a week ago, I was in Montgomery, Alabama, camping in my car, in the pouring rain. A tornado watch ended one county over, so I felt safe where was at. I was in a little park with a boat launch. As I drove into the park, there was a sign noting that it is a potential flash flood area. I did drive past the boat launch area to check the height of the water… seemed far enough down that I would be fine as the storm blew through over the next couple of hours. But in the meantime, wow, did it come down!

Civil Rights

And now, on to more important sighs in Alabama. I spent a couple of days in Birmingham and Montgomery. I focused on civil rights (and the lack thereof) history in these two cities. It is horrific what we have done, and continue to do, to our fellow human beings – from slavery, to Jim Crow and segregation, to mass incarceration, to terrorism. Whites have terrorized blacks in so many ways – the threat of beatings, violence, unfair treatment, and death. It’s horrific, sad, and heartbreaking, and meant to terrorize those the actions are directed at. So often, I wonder, “Why we can’t just be kind to one another?” If someone has the answer, please let me know.

I am also inspired by the thousands that have stood up to the threats, to the wrongs in the world, by those that have taken a stand for what is right and helped move us in the direction of love and freedom.

Pictures

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Exhibit demonstrating separate and not equal at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Emmitt Till

Signs marking the spot where Emmett Till’s body was found have had to be replaced because of gunshots in them. The current marker is made out of bulletproof material.

16th Street Baptist Church

16^th Street Baptist Church where the four girls were killed by a bomb. A fifth girl was severely wounded during the bombing. On that same day, two young boys were killed by gun in two separate incidents.

National Memorial for Peach and Justice

At the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, one column represents each county where black people are known to have been lynched. The names and dates are inscribed for each individual killed. Lynchings were not just the community taking justice into its own hands; they were meant to terrorize the black community into remaining subservient to whites.

Birmingham Mobile Market

On the positive side, in Birmingham, I came across a Mobile Market run by a community development organization to bring healthy foods to the inner-city community. I spoke with a fellow involved and he explained that all the foods had to meet strict requirements about nutritive value, especially low sugar. They had fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk, and similar. It’s clear the vestiges of slavery and racism are still embedded in our society, yet good to see every little bit of action to remedy the injustices.