North Carolina and Atlanta

Today we went to the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina. This was one of my favorite museums to visit. Our tour guide was very passionate and enthusiastic about his work that it made learning about the information easier and more interesting. I was surprise to learn about the Greensboro four. In my past history classes we never discussed in depth the rise of sit ins and it was just shocking to learn that that because four college freshman had the courage to take a peaceful stand they sparked an entire movement. My favorite parts of museums like this one was getting to learn new names of people who made such a huge impact in the civil rights movement but you never really learn about in school, like Jay Kenneth Lee. Prior to this trip I have never heard of that name. He accomplished a lot in his life like being the first African American to attend North Carolina University and winning over 1000 cases. In Atlanta we went to the King Center and National Center for Human and Civil Rights Museum. I think when talking about MLK its easy to only see one side of him and what he fought for. Some people forget that he was an activist for women's rights, against the Vietnam war, and launched the poor people's campaign for people of all colors who lived in poverty. The King Center did a great job highlighting the different facets of his character. I wish that it was a bit more interactive though. At the National Center the biggest thing that I remember is doing the simulation for the sit ins where you put on the headphones and listen to the reenactment. Whenever I think about those kind of situations I also wonder if I could just sit there peacefully while people yelled vulgar insults, kicked my chair, and spat at me. It takes a lot of bravery. One comment about the speaker Dr. Bernard LaFayette is that I felt he talked about a lot of things but didn't really specify about his experience being a freedom rider. I learned more about him and his struggles in the museums than actually hearing him. If he could tailor his points a little more that would be great.