History First Hand

Days 20 thru 30 - 1/24 – 2/2/2010

The last week and a half have flown by in a flurry of activity. I’m awakening from a cold induced coma that caused a few of those days to disappear into a foggy mist somewhere but I’ll try to recount our movement.

We arrived eagerly in Atlanta (or more specifically Duluth), GA on Sunday 1/24 in the middle of a heavy downpour.  We spent the next 4 days in the lap of luxury – the kids happily playing with their adorable 4 year old cousin, Scott and I sleeping in a cozy king-sized bed in the privacy of a real bedroom, and all of us eating like kings and queens while my sister and niece spoiled us with delectable meals, one after another.  To keep the kids from going stir-crazy we ventured out to a local mall which resulted in 4 pair of Crocs for $30.00 (now that’s news) and some pooped out children.  Well worth the trip. We had wanted to visit Stone Mountain, one of the main attractions in the area, but found out at the last minute that most of the park was closed.  So, we opted to tour the World of Coke, Coca-Cola’s exhibit detailing the history of the world’s first bubbly beverage first created in 1886.  However, our favorite part was the tasting area where we were encouraged to try as many of the 64 beverages (sold worldwide) on tap as we wanted.  My favorite –Kingsley (England), Joelle’s – Cherry Coke, Kerby – Fanta Magic (from ?), Scott – a couple of the Asian varieties.

 

 

Thursday, 1/28 we left Atlanta for the great southern state of Alabama where we would receive an up close and personal education on the Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s.  Along the road toward Montgomery, we stopped at the Nat’l Historic Site of the Tuskegee Airmen – a small humble building in the middle of nowhere, filled with images capturing the heroic African American men who risked their lives to help a country that saw them as little more than consumable weapons of destruction.

 

Sunday we ventured into downtown Montgomery where we stood on the very corner where the church, at which Martin Luther King, Jr. was minister, along with the Women’s Political Council organized the bus boycott the day following the arrest of Rosa Parks on Dec. 1, 1955.  Just one block away from the church, in its largess, sits the capitol building – the first capitol of the Confederacy (no it wasn’t VA).  Being a Sunday afternoon, there were no people about so we took our time milling around and letting the irony of the moment engulf us – the four of us, an interracial family, standing on the steps of the capitol of the Confederacy, looking down on the church where so many brave men and women stood 55 years ago in a fight that would eventually allow us to be the family we are today.  I’m certain the kids could in no way get the magnitude of the moment but it wasn’t lost on Scott or me.  

 

We followed up this momentous occasion with a visit the next day to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute -- one of the best museums I’ve ever experienced.  It walks you through the Civil Rights Movement using films, pictures, video interviews, life size sculptures, and artifacts all displayed beautifully to tell a brutal yet inspiring story.  The kids got a lot out of it but said it was “creepy,” which I’m sure it was for them.  I can only imagine what feelings the images conjure for people of color. Unfortunately the institute allows no photography so we are unable to share the remarkable exhibits there but, they will be etched in our memories for years to come. 

One of the most enjoyable displays in the institute was a video capturing an incredibly talented and unusual artist while he paints a portrait of MLK, Jr. The painting hangs in the museum right beside the video screen.  It’s amazing to see the painting coming to life while glancing at the actual finished piece.  If you have a chance, check out the guy’s website http://dennydent.com/. He's totally amazing.

Just outside and up the street was a very nicely done park called the Freedom Walk consisting of a circular stone path along which are placed bronze statues.  Each statue depicts a frozen moment in time during the African American's fight for equality in the south.

 

While in Montgomery, Scott and I have gotten a taste of what it’s like to be in the minority.  The campground in which we were staying was in a very depressed area of the city (you have no clue what you’re getting when you’re shopping for campgrounds via the internet and a Good Sams catalog).  “The Woods” as it was so misleadingly called, was 1 block from the major highway that runs through the city and located just yards off a main thoroughfare (reminiscent of Midlothian Trnpk) – lots of dead malls and boarded up houses.  The Woods is basically a 3-4 acre gravel parking lot with a bathhouse and electric/water hookups every so many feet. So we stayed our 3 nights and then added another just for good measure.  Hey – I was sick the first two days, hardly leaving my bed, and we spent one day doing Joelle’s hair in the laundry room.  Anyway, it was an experience going to the local WalMart for groceries but the location gave us great access to the things we wanted to see while there and, since we weren’t caught in any crossfire, it was a beneficial experience.

 

The Woods Campground - hmmmm

Tuesday 2/2/2010 (yesterday) we drove further south toward New Orleans. The sun is shining this morning as I write this entry.  Soon we’re off to experience the excitement of a town in the throes of celebrating not only Marti Gras but also the upcoming Super Bowl in which their home team will be playing.  My first visit to the city of the saints – I’m excited.