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| Memorial for Jimmie Lee Jackson, Marion, Alabama |
The past two days in the south have been exhilarating, emotional and among the most important journeys of my life.
Yesterday We began attending church at 16th st Baptist, the center of so many Civil Rights mass meetings and where Birmingham marches often started. Of course 16th st Baptist is also the site of the bombings of the four little girls and I learned two young boys also died near there-six young lives snuffed out violently and tragically. There you can see the staircase where the dynamite was hidden. Do you know Birmingham was known as Bombimgham? For obvious reasons with the many bombings! The music was incredible - so moving. There was a child dedication and a welcome for a new member. There was so much for us to reflect on after that worship.
There is a stained glass window of Jesus given by people from Ales. Another stained glass of Jesus was left after the bombing but the face was missing from the blast. It now is repaired but an interesting piece that the face was almost whited out.
We had lunch outside the Civil Rights Institute and walked across the street to Kelly Ingram Park. I read about the statues and art pieces but nothing can prepare you for walking through the piece with dogs on all sides. There are other areas with a boy and girl with the inscription, "I ain't scared of your jail". I passed two men taking photos. One sat under the three ministers kneeling in prayer before being arrested. I told the young man I liked to see him there near that depicted scene. We struck up a conversation. They had been at a philanthropy conference and knew about the Veatch funds. We talked about an author, Kathy LaMay, I heard who is consultant to philanthropists from all incomes, helping them use their time, talent and treasure to make a difference. It was a great conversation with these two men from Atlanta and Queens.
The Civil Rights Institute really requires hours which we did not have. My roommate and I lingered and found an endearing photo of Rev. Fred Shuttles worth, Birmingham leader and brave soul, with Bill Clinton and Barack Obama near him in his wheelchair. So many things to experience there. An amazing place where Jim Crow reigned and white and colored signs were everywhere.
Our next trip was to Bethel Baptist Church where Fred Shuttles worth served many years. We saw and heard how they are trying to preserve this historic church with its simplicity. An arch shows s where the borders of Rev. Shuttleswoth's parsonage was when it too was no,bed while he was inside.
Then we went to the Unitarian Universalist church of Birmingham. The Carlton Reese Memorial Choir sang for us with incredible songs from Mr. Reese who wrote so much of the music for the mass meetings. Many choir me,here testified how their singing and praying got them arrested (I got a cd-much of the music you will recognize). The UU church hosted us with dinner and stories of how they were involved in the Movement.
We were all exhausted and that is why I just could not write last not. We left early to board the bus with singer and songwriter Reggie, joining us. Joseph is our tour guide and Jimmy is our bus driver. They are such wonderful guides.
We started the morning at Marion, AL with a visit to memorials for veterans, Albert Turner and Rev James Orange. They were absolutely essential to the work. We heard from many participants in Marion about the events on the night that Jimmie Lee Jackson died. Many of the women risked everything to vote. Some of them
warned of practices in Voter registration that are disenfranchising voters by the score. They spoke of the precious right to vote and fears of young people not understanding what they four for. They told their stories with dignity, tears and courage. They understand the dear price paid for freedom and the right to vote. As they spoke, they relived that night in all its fierceness and tragedy. Their stories touched us to the core. To know that violence that happened right there to so many in Marion where so much was initiated. The decision to go to Selma came in the aftermath of that fateful night when Jimmie Lee Jackson tried to protect his father and mother and they shot him dead with no justice following it. These women chronicled that experience for us. It was beautifully spoken in all that they portrayed.
We went to see where Jimmie Lee Jackson was buried, then drove to Selma where Joanne Bland was our tour guide. We started with a DVD that I bought aimed at helping us all, but particularly youth, understand what happened at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I hope we can see this film for MLK National Day of Service.q We went to Brown AME church where meetings took place and then picked up a stone at the only cement left where so many gathered to walk across. We stopped at the James Reeb memorial marker where Rev. Clark Olsen, who was one of the two ministers with Reeb when was killed. Clark set with me on the bus and to see him relive that not and returning g to Selma to identify who struck them was moving beyond words. We saw a film his daughter's friend made when father and daughter went to Selma to do some healing and experience the stories again.
We are staying at the historic St. James hotel. It has views of the river and the Pettus Bridge on the back patio. It is a place of amazing serene beauty. You can only imagine the tear gas, horses and bats mowing people down. It did not stop on Bloody Sunday but continued all night, chasing people across the bridge and to homes.
Reggie led us in singing and our small group gatherings as we reflected on choosing a name and what we envisioned from the day that impacted us most. And we had a brief worship for Indigenous Peoples's day, not to take anything away from those who found these shores from Europe but to celebrate that indigenous people were already here. This also represents part of repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery as we were asked and we passed at General Assembly in Phoenix.
The hour is late or early but I wanted to write this down to tell you how my heart is understanding what is so very necessary in our world. The things these brave men, women and children laid on the line and sacrificed for seems to be eroding again. The people whose names are deleted from the voting register and the practices instituted now clearly aim to discount so many. I will try to get some photos on Facebook tomorrow. We all the Edmund Pet us Bridge tomorrow. I am imagining the feel of that bridge with its stories to tell.
With love and care,
Susan
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