The Wheels on the Bus

            Today we took a bus tour to different parts of tragic yet beautiful Nawlins. We hopped out on several occasions in the scathing heat to listen to our tour guide, Mary, talk about the levy that broke because the barge was left in the water during Hurricane Katrina. We actually stood on top of the levy, and as she spoke, I imagined the now vacant lots filled with houses being swept away by the water.

            Out here, so many houses are raised off of the ground several feet by concrete blocks. Mary pointed to this one house that looked like a giant double-decker carousel, and proceeded to tell us it could float! To me, these things seem like an explicit sign of the people’s preparedness and fears, a sign that disaster struck once too close to home to not take precautions in the future.

            Mary also showed us Dillard University, a beautiful campus with a predominately black population and all-white colonial buildings. Several of the dorm buildings were still being worked on: that many years later after Hurricane Katrina, there was still work that needed to be done and things that needed to be repaired. This idea of limbo between the past and the present reveals itself in many different ways here: the unfinished school buildings, the vacant lots, raised houses, and countless triage X’s on the front doors of houses, stating the date, time, and number of people found dead after the search and the extraction of the flood water.

            We finally took a ride through Cancer Alley, a desolate and eerie neighborhood that was never renovated after the storm. It reminded me of those plastic doll-like families and the houses they built out in the middle of the desert to do nuclear tests. The buildings were abandoned during the day, but at night, Mary said it was a crime infested and drug ridden place: in fact, just two weeks earlier, a fifteen year old boy was shot and killed there.

            The story behind cancer alley really shocked all of us. The whole neighborhood was built on landfill and waste from the previous storm. The government decided to build houses geared toward new homeowners and didn’t tell the buyers that their homes were basically built on this toxic waste. When people started getting sick, and when cancer rates increased, the families started to ask questions. They went to court and the homeowners won the case. The government tested the soil, decreed it was toxic, removed two feet of dirt (of the fifteen feet the houses sat atop on), and dumped the dirt less than several hundred feet away from the houses! People today are still trying to get fair compensation for their losses and illnesses but barely any progress has been made. It frustrated me so much, and my thoughts were mimicked with cries of, “Are you kidding me?” and “Wait, what?”  Uncovering this history and injustice while seeing it is very moving, but knowing that there is so much to overcome, even dealing with things that happened so long ago, can sometimes be disheartening. We can only hope that we take the stories we hear, share them, and hopefully use what we know to create change in what ways we can, if that’s only in our own communities. We have to start somewhere, right?

-Aurora

"A man-made disaster of fucking epic proportions"

We have moved again. This time the drive took us an exhausting eight hours, but now we are in New Orleans, Louisiana! For the final portion of this immersion, we will be staying at Camp Hope. This place use to be a school which was heavily impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and now has been transformed into a center for change and reformation. In light of the last couple of weeks, in which we have been immersing ourselves in Civil Rights history, I think connecting to this disaster will be crucial for helping us see what injustice and racism look like today in the United States. We are now preparing to participate in Habitat for Humanity. I am so excited for the upcoming week. I do not often to get the chance to work with my hands, and I feel like this experience will be a great opportunity to actually make a difference in someone's life.

Today we were able to speak with Bethany's friend, Christo, and Janie's friends Emily and Zach, all three of which have been volunteering in the area for the last years. This was a great panel. Christo has been in New Orleans for the last four years. He came here as a part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corp., and decided to stay because of the wonderful people and his fulfilling work. Christo was really able to highlight some of the discrepancies with respect to racial equality and unequal distribution of resources which continue to be a problem in this city, especially after Hurricane Katrina. One of the most disheartening truths I learned was the fact that there is more violence in the schools then the prisons because of support, funding, and organization. Emily and Zach have been in working at a school for the last two years in Greensburg, a couple of hours outside the city. They received the position as a part of Teachers of America, which they acknowledged as a problematic organization. Although they enjoyed working with the kids, both Zach and Emily were very honest about the struggle they experienced as teachers due to the lack of resources, the grotesque environment of the school, and the separation they felt from the community. It was disheartening to hear about their horrific volunteer the experience, in which they seemed finally relieved to be leaving, but I do appreciate their honesty about their intense experiences.

The rest of our day was spent exploring New Orleans. We went to the French Quater, which is hot tourist spot for shopping and relaxing. It was a beautiful day. The French style of the architecture  and the streets filled with music, art, and music was so exciting and fun. I spent most of my day shopping with Lauren Johnson, in which she needed to find a swim suit for our beach trip in Mississippi tomorrow. Although we were unsuccessful in finding Lauren's suit, we did eat delicious coffee from Cafe Du Monde, taking pictures in front of Bubba Gump Shrimp, and even replacing my old wallet with a brand new Marvel Wolverine wallet. This city was amazing, and Lauren and I even acknowledged that we would be willing to live here in the future. It was been a great day.

Georgia

Koinoia

We have left Resurrection Catholic Mission. Although I am learning so much from our experiences thus far, it feels like we are going through this immersion on fast-forward. We are now in Georgia! After a three hour drive, in which the Batmobile danced to everything from Hakuna-Matata to Destiny's Child to BBMak, our group has made it to Koinoia farm. Before we arrived, I had never heard of Koinoia. I knew we were going to a farm, but I did not know the deep Civil Rights history imbedded in this place. After watching an hour long documentary called Briars in the Cottonpatch, I learned that this farm was founded by Clarence Jordan. Although he was not on the picket lines or walking in marches, Jordan tried to live an honorable, Christian lifestyle by establishing a community that promoted the idea of racial equality. 

This is a beautiful place. It has changed over the years, in which I found myself a little disappointed by the fact that this place is not actively trying to promote ideas of integration. However, the work they do is still impressive. They continue to promote ideas of community, sustainability, and ecologically friendly farming. Today we got the chance to actually work within community, in which Tadeau, Sarah, Brock, Klafty, and Maddy helped to paint the trimming for one of the houses, while other groups worked in the garden and the bakery. Although it kind of seems like a small gesture, I truly felt like part of the community.
-- Kevin

Global Village

I grew up in the basement of the family my mom worked for until I was in 5^th grade. We moved to a house later on but I never considered myself as coming from a privileged background. Walking around in the recreated poverty village changed that perception. Wooden crates with sheets thrown across them were used as beds. Makeshift tables were made of boxes and slats of wood.  Even the nicest houses Habitat built for those in other countries were not as equip and comfortable as the basement I lived in as a child, which always had a bunch of stuffed animals, cozy covers, good home cooking, running water, and hot baths. Growing up in San Francisco, I considered virtually all my friends more “privileged” than I. Their parents were architects who built their house, lawyers who traveled to Europe every summer, doctors who donated thousands of dollars in fundraisers. But going to Global Village made me realize that my perception of “normal” housing and wealth is not “normal” at all. I grew up in one of the most wealthy cities in the world, and yet I can guarantee that even the poorest of the poor in that city are most likely better off than others who like in the slums of Bangladesh, for instance. This tour was one of the most impactful for me and it has really shifted my perception and my lens of how I see the world.

Aurora

Café Campesino
Amidst the prevalent Waffle Houses, Piggly Wiggly Grocers and Southern-style BBQ pits, we Portlanders have noted (and felt) the great void of coffee shops here in the south.  We enjoyed a little taste of our accustomed NW culture by experiencing a local, organic and fair trade café smack dab in the middle of Americus, Georgia. Although some Southerners scoff at the non-chicory infused coffee, Café Campesino promotes sustainable and fair-trading through direct relationships with their various coffee farmers. The founder of the Café started the business while building a Habitat for Humanity home in Latin America and forming a friendship with a local coffee farmer. In discovering the unfair wages received by the growers the founder decided to bring more ethical and fair practices to coffee consumption in the Georgia area. Currently, Café Campesino roasts all their coffee beans daily in their Americus shop selecting shade grown, organic coffee and from an array of plantations from Bolivia, Ethiopia, Sumatra, Honduras, Peru and Mexico. Being a personal coffee lover myself, I found this fun little café a fantastic connection to our Pacific Northwest roots. 
Lindsey

School Work

I had the most amazing day. Today we worked with the Resurrection Catholic Mission, the place that we have been staying for the last week, in which half of our group cleaned apartments for those in need, while the other half of us worked within the school. Before we actually chose which class we would work with, the principal, Sister Gale, and one of the school counselors decided to have a discussion with us. Although I am sorry to say I do not remember the counselor's name, she is a really passionate woman that discussed her own history growing up around the Civil Rights Movement, as well as inspired us to recognize our own gifts for the upcoming day. After our discussion, Brian and I chose to work with the seconds graders, which consisted of four wonderful kids. I ended up spending most of my day with Trent. He is a wonderful kid that had an affinity for music and could not stop talking about his little brother. Even though I told the group that I considered my gift to be friendliness and a positive attitude, I do not know what impact I had on this eight-year-old boy. All I can attest to is the fact this experience really empowered me into working within a school setting. Whereas before I had anxiety about working with younger people, being around Trent and other students felt really comfortable and natural, and I feel much more confident in my possible future as an educator. 

-- Kevin 

I had a bit of nostalgia and volunteered to be with the kindergarteners. There were only about six boys in the classroom, and one showed up later. Lauren and I, because we both shared with the substitute teacher that we are education majors, were asked to lead the students during every single activity. I approached it was a combination of enthusiasm and nervousness. In the end, it worked out well, and some of the kids opened up toward the end, asking us to sit next to them or even give them our phone numbers! It felt nice to give back to Resurrection because they had given us so much and had let us stay in their facilities. It was also great to be back in an environment where I felt comfortable and had so much fun.
Aurora

“Sometimes, to create change, you have to be a S.O.B”

“Sometimes, to create change, you have to be a S.O.B” – Dr. Fitts, Tour Guide around the city of Selma 

Today we traveled to Selma, Alabama, the historic city of the Civil Rights Movement that witnessed the death of Jimmy Jackson, “Bloody Sunday”, and a hotspot for the fight for African American voting rights.

We began our trip with a tour of downtown Selma lead by Dr. Alastor Fitts, a historical expert on various events that occurred here. It was fascinating. We visited a number of areas that were sources of racial tension and conflict during the movement, including St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and 1^st Baptist Church. We also got a chance to walk around the Live Oak Cemetery, which is filled so much interesting information about both the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. I was astonished to hear that a statue of Robert E. Lee’s head had been stolen, and the local authorities are still looking for it with a 20,000 dollar award. Dr. Fitts was a fantastic tour guide. I came to really appreciate both his deep knowledge of the city as well as his delightful sense of humor. At one point he actually grabbed me by the shirt collar in his story about a local sidewalk committee in front of one the churches. The entire group could see how excited he was about this rich history, and it made the experience that much more powerful.

My favorite part of our day was our visit to the National Voting Rights Museum. We walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which was where the Bloody Sunday March began.  That walk, alone, was enough to really make you appreciate the level of dedication and conviction that these protestors demonstrated. Once we arrived at the museum, our tour guide, Samuel Walker set a really great background about the history of the Civil Rights Movements leading up to Bloody Sunday. Although he was a little intense, demanding that we give him our undivided attention for an entire fifteen minutes without interruption, his presentation was completely worth the effort on our part. Mr. Walker had so much investment in the movement, even disclosing to us that he was arrested and taken to prison twice for fighting for racial equality when he was eleven years old. He also is connected to the specific pieces in the building. He took the time to point out that the dress on display was the actual outfit that Marie Foster wore on Bloody Sunday, which she donated before her death.

Today was a beautiful day. I am starting to feel really connected to both my fellow immersion participant, but also, the rich and difficult and empowering history of the Civil Rights Movement. 

“Stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth.”

Friday, May 11^th, 2012

            Today we went Southern Poverty Law Center Civil Rights Memorial, which has been established as a place to honor those who have actually given their lives to the Civil Rights Movement. This is a beautiful place. Outside the building there is a fountain that displays the names of those who have made a huge impact during this time including Emmett Till, Medgar Evars, Jimmie Jackson, Viola Liuzzo, Martin Luther King Jr., among many others. The center, itself, is filled information of these people's lives as well as a list of those who died that we have no information on. At the end of the tour, we were presented with is a collage demonstrating the human rights battles that we continue to fight today such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, disability discrimination. There are mini-biographies for those who have died during these specific movements, and images of those who continue to fight against inequality. I was very proud to add my name among those who have visited this center, including my fellow participants, and have been moved to actively fight for the equality of all human beings in my own life. 

-- Kevin 

Saturday, May 12^th, 2012

            Today was filled with so many interesting new learning experiences. We all headed down to Tuskegee, Alabama where we first took a tour of Booker T. Washington’s house (aka mansion). The lavishness of his manor paralleled his philosophy of blacks’ advancement in society through self-sufficiency and economic growth. Our tour guide pointed out all the innovative features of the house that were unique to the time and location. Electricity, a sauna, and a dumbwaiter are just some of the things we marveled at. After the tour we headed across the street to the George Washington Carver Museum where we marveled at the many uses of peanuts and plants for medicinal purposes. Even peanut earrings were purchased in commemoration! After that, we headed over to the Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multi-Cultural Center to learn about the syphilis experiments conducted on African Americans in the 40s. The fact that this history has not been exposed to general public on a large scale was very disheartening. Later we visited the Tuskegee Air Museum, and by that time, I’m not going to lie, I was getting a little tired. We learned about how Eleanor Roosevelt wanted to fly with an African American pilot, there were vintage adds, voice recordings of pilots, and we even got to test out our skills at folding parachutes. All in all, it was a very tiresome and adventurous day: it seems like that has been the pattern thus far and we all don’t seem to mind it one bit!

Aurora 

“Let it break your heart, but not your spirit”

Hello, this is Kevin

“Let it break your heart, but not your spirit” – Ms. Shirley Cherry, Tour Guide at the Dexter Parsonage Museum 

The last couple of days have been action packed with trips, discussions, travel, and reflection. My initial feelings when arriving at Resurrection Catholic Missions was appreciation. I realized that the months of preparation, fundraising, and classes had finally accumulated into being in this place. I am so happy to be a part of this group, and although it is only the beginning, I already feel like I am learning so much.

Yesterday was a very busy day. We traveled into downtown Montgomery, and went to the Dexter Parsonage Museum, the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, the Capital Building, and the Rosa Parks Museum. Being in Martin Luther King Jr.’s home was such a powerful experience. Our tour guide, Cherry, took us through King’s daily life as well as the history and location of the famous bombing of his home. Seeing the table in which he reflected on his mission as a leader within the Civil Rights Movement was really empowering.

The most important and informative experience we were blessed with yesterday was speaking with Civil Rights leaders of the past and the present during our “Traditional Southerner Picnic” dinner. Among the speakers, we were able to talk to Rev. Robert and Mrs. Jeannie Graetz, Ms. Doris Crenshaw, Mr. Nelson Malden, Ms. Claire Milligan, and many others. I was astounded by the level of knowledge they could give us about this the Civil Rights Movement, and the way they could inspire us to continue to fight for change and the rights of those who experience prejudice. One statement that really struck me was when I talked with Rev Robert Graetz, who was a part of the Civil Rights Movement during the Montgomery and shared a relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. I told him I was astonished by the level of courage he was able to display, despite the fear of being bombed and harassed on a daily basis. He told me that much of courage was due to his faith in God, and that “Martin”, during one of his sermons, had warned his parishioners that some of their peers would be killed. King acknowledged the dangers of speaking out and protesting, and yet these activists had enough conviction and faith in God to continue to work for what was right. Their strength is inspiring.  

There is something about walking through King’s home, these churches, and talking with people who actually took part in this period of history that is so much deeper and powerful than reading or discussions than the limited school setting. By visiting these places and talking to people, this movement is starting to become a reality. Through these experiences, I feel that our entire group is not only getting a better grasp of the history, but also the role we are meant to play in continue to inspire change.