Lawrie's last post

At the Medgar Evers House, I learned who Medgar Evers was and how he contributed to the Civil Rights Movement. It reminded me that there were many people who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement and sacrificed their lives, and I was glad to be able to learn about a new figure. The Mississippi Civil Rights and History Museum had a lot of information that I found interesting. My time there was particularly memorable because I met a Freedom Rider who spoke about his experiences.

I was really excited to go on the Little Rock Central High School Tour in Arkansas. It was crazy to think about how not too long ago, the Little Rock Nine went there. The tour gave me a lot of in-depth information that I hadn’t learned before from textbooks. I learned just how terribly the Little Rock Nine was treated when they tried to attend classes at Central High, and I also learned about the Lost Year that occurred the year after the Little Rock Nine went there. The Mosaic Templars Museum was also an interesting experience, and I learned about the importance of 9th Street and the businesses that flourished there in the past.

The National Civil Rights Museum in Tennessee was full of information, but I particularly appreciated that it talked a lot about the other side of the Civil Rights Movement. There was the peaceful and nonviolent approach, but the museum also talked about the other approaches to the movement, such as the contributions from Malcolm X. This was the first museum that really addressed this other aspect of the movement. The Slave Haven Museum was also a memorable experience, because we got to tour a house that was an actual stop for the Underground Railroad. It was crazy to hear about the story behind the house, and to see the underground cellar where the runaway slaves had to sneak into. Lastly, the Ernest Withers Museum was also interesting, and I learned about who the man was, as well as the conspiracy theories that arose following his death.

Overall, this trip was packed with information, and I took away a lot from it. I learned much more about the Civil Rights Movement than I ever did from my textbooks, and was reminded that these events occurred not too long ago. The best part was that I shared my experiences daily with my family and friends. The discussions we had at the hotel also allowed us to process what we’d learned throughout the day. I feel that it is important for us to talk about these things, and that it is more important than ever for us to take action and fight for justice today. I’m thankful that I had such a memorable spring break, and I know that I will definitely be thinking and talking about the things I learned from this trip.

Lawrie Zhang's post

The Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta was an amazing museum, and I really liked being able to see the Morehouse exhibit, where many original documents written by Martin Luther King Jr. were displayed. I also liked how the museum talked about civil and human rights on a global scale. Our speaker, Charles Steele, shared shocking statistics indicating that there is still much inequality in our world today, and that we must continue to fight for change. Being at the King Center was an amazing experience, and I particularly liked being in the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Being inside the church and hearing the speakers play Martin Luther King’s sermons was indescribable, and it was a very memorable experience. 

The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery was also an unforgettable experience. It was amazing to see the black circular table with the names inscribed into it, and to dip my hand in the water. The Equal Justice Initiative made me aware of many shocking and saddening statistics about those being incarcerated in our country. I had no idea that many extremely young children were being given life sentences in prison, and I was glad to learn about the organization and their cause. It was also powerful to see the jars filled with the dirt from lynching sites lined up in shelves against the wall. The Rosa Parks Museum was very informative, because I learned many new facts. I didn’t know that Rosa Parks decided on her own to stay in her seat, and that it hadn’t been planned beforehand. Only afterwards was her arrest used as the forefront of the bus boycott and the Civil Rights Movement because it was a clean arrest. I also learned that Jo Ann Robinson, a teacher, along with two students made thousands of pamphlets to hand out to inform others about the bus boycott that was to take place. 

The Dexter Avenue Parsonage was a moving experience, because we got to tour the house MLK lived in when he was in Alabama, and we were able to see where the bomb exploded at the front of the house. The Footprints to Freedom Tour at the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma was very memorable and shocking, as we experienced just a fraction of what slaves in the past had to go through. We learned more about the countless people who participated in the marches during the Civil Rights Movement, and got to walk across the famous bridge ourselves. 

In the past few days, I’ve already learned and experienced so many unforgettable things. I can’t wait for the rest of the trip, and to learn more. 

Alabama

Here Are Is Some Interesting History I Learned in Alabama:

Jo Ann Robinson started the boycott of buses (school teacher) with printing letters that Thursday night 

The city tired to sue the NAACP for the 13,15,16 amendment for the boycott 

The church played an important role in many areas of the civil rights movement. The MONTGOMERY bus protest brought the various denominations of clergy to the front of social action and united them in common causes. Congregations looked up to their pastors out of respect for the church but also because these men were often the most highly educated in their community. 

The NAACP chooses Rosa parks to be the face of the civil rights movement because she was light skin and was an ideal image. She had a job, attended school and had many positions of power within the church and community and her arrest was clean. She was not the only women involved because multiple Women had altercations on the buses before her and there were other bus boycotts going on.

The bus drivers were given police powers. They were allowed to carry firearms and sometimes they went off on the bus and people were hurt. 

Atlanta

Atlanta was very interesting and fun. We had the opportunity to speak to Charles Steal who has taken over Dr. Kings Foundation SCIC. This was so powerful because when he got the call to come to the foundation it was literally at its lowest with no funding and barely able to pay the bills. However in a few years he raised over $20 Million Dollars for the foundation and was able to build a new building for the foundation. He was able to do this without many believing in him. Moreover, he had some profound wisdom for the group. “Silence in the face of evil is evil it’s self,” this statement is so powerful to me because the civil rights movement is really not over because there are still a lot of acts of discrimination still occurring. However, people are content with the state of where we are. Moreover, I think that people are more selfish now and have the mindset that “it’s not affecting me” so they do not see the need to do anything. 

Additionally, he spoke on a new article that was published on February 28th, 2018 in the Washington Post. The article spoke on the racial gap in earning had not changed since 1968. This was shocking because you would think that it has increased however we are still not equal. 

Atlanta, Georgia

Today we listened to words of wisdom from the current President of the SCLC, Charles Steele, at the Center for Civil and Human Rights. He spoke on his knowledge of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's career as president of the SCLC and reveled many truths that have never been revealed by public media. It is widely believed that MLK was assassinated by man who disagreed with his beliefs but in reality, many people who worked closely with MLK, such as his photographer and accountant, were on the FBI's payroll. Also, MLK spoke out against the Vietnam war many times which is why the government may have had him killed. This discussion really opened my eyes and made me realize that the government and the system that it is built on is the real enemy to equality and civil rights.

Charleston, South Carolina

Our first stop on the trip was to Charleston, South Carolina where we first toured the McCleod Plantation. Exploring the plantation was a very informative experience for me. I enjoyed walking around the plantation learning about where the slaves were housed and about the history that took place on this plantation during the Civil War.  It was interesting to learn that people still lived in the slave cabins lined along the old driveway until 1990 to work as sharecroppers and house servants until the grandson of William McCleod, the plantation owner in the mid-1800s, died. I am glad that the tour guide took us on a journey through history by explaining the events surrounding the plantation owners' house from about 1861 to 1990. I really learned a lot about what newly freedmen did between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Civil Rights era.

Later that Saturday, we visited the Old Slave Mart Museum and learned more about the slave trade in eastern North America. Many of the slaves who came to the coast of Charleston ended up being sold at the various slave marts including the museum and the areas surrounding it. Many families were changed forever by being torn apart from one another while having to endure the horrendous conditions of slavery. Being in a place where events like this actually took place was very heartbreaking for me. I could never imagine being in their shoes and having to endure all that the slaves endured in that time period.

On Sunday morning, we attended service at Mother Emmanuel AME Church. I loved being a part of this service because it had been a while since I went to an African-American church as large as this one. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, and we were even acknowledged as visitors by the pastor. Although the tragic shooting occurred here in 2015 where Dylan Roof murdered many churchgoers during Bible Study, many people in the community are still able to call this place their home.

Church

GoodMorning,

Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend church service while in South Carolina. More importantly we attended service at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, if you remember then that was the same church in which nine people were killed in during 2015. They never once mentioned the situation however you can tell that it still effects them. For example, if you had a large book bag then they wanted to search it. Furthermore, it was a police officer in the very back of the service just standing in the corner.

Despite the horrible event it was still very encouraging to still see members attend service. I feel that it was a testament of their dedication to the church and to god. Personally I feel that if I went through something so horrible that I would be scared to revisit.

On a more positive note, service was amazing. I feel that it was an ideal “African American” Christian service. They did a lot of praise through music which is a large part of our culture. Furthermore, compared to churches that I have visited in Chicago I feel that this church was more connected. It was not just the pastor preaching but he had others involved doing various things throughout service such as a young lady reading a prayer and the young men lighting and extinguishing the candles at the beginning and end of service. Overall it was a great experience.

Post from Lawrie Zhang

So far this trip has been very eye opening. When we went to the McLeod Plantation, I learned many things, but one interesting fact I learned was the psychological aspect of managing the plantations. The slave owners would bring in pastors to preach about obedience, twisting their messages so that they would make the slaves believe that it was their duty and purpose to serve their masters. Being a psychology major, I thought that this was very interesting, because I never thought much about the psychological aspects of slavery. 

At the Old Slave Mart Museum, I learned that the history of slavery was further back than I realized. I also learned about the huge sugar industry in the Caribbean, which was something I was unaware of. In our discussions back at the hotel, we discussed about how in history textbooks, we don’t really learn the whole history of slavery, and often only the civil rights movement is discussed extensively. Periods of time get skipped over, especially the Reconstruction period. This made me even more thankful that I was able to come on this trip to learn. 

When we went to Mother Emmanuel AME Church, I was in awe of how beautiful the church was. I enjoyed service, and the music really moved me. I could feel that the community was really tight-knit and full of energy. 

So far, I’ve learned a lot on this trip, and I look forward to what’s to come!

Saturday 3/17

Today started off rough because of the long bus ride to get to Charleston. I was not expecting that ;however, after visiting the McLeod Plantation and the Trade Museum it was worth the struggle. The McLeod plantation was interesting because it had the original slave houses still presents. It was shocking to see that the slave houses were small or smaller then what I have read about in textbooks. Also, the plantation had African Americans leaving in the slave house until 1990. I would have thought that we would have been more advanced and upgraded considering that the 1990s was more modern then the slavery period.

Furthermore, the trade museum made me question whether or not the government was making policies in favor of the slave traders because they made rules and policies that were easy to go around. For example, it said you couldn’t purchase African slaves but you could purchase other slaves. Then you could no longer trade in public which basically was saying to tr traders that “you could trade but just do it privately.”

Bus Ride

I am looking forward to learn about the deep history of South Carolina. The bus ride was long, but  very fun. My favorite movie was Coach Carter. The weather is great.