not excited to say goodbye

Today, was a great last day! We left Super 8, and wrote post cards to our sponsors. (I wrote one to our high school principal.) We took off an headed to the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Visitor Center and went into the high school itself. We got an overview of what happened there, like Elizabeth Eckford being the first to come to Little Rock Central High School in attempt to go to class and integrate, but was blocked by the National Guard. However, later on President Dwight Eisenhower hired federal troops to come and protect the Little Rock 9 so they could attend the school. One kid who lived in the neighborhood thought that the Russians had invaded. That's how much commotion there was.

   We took photos of the school and entered their auditorium, and heard more about the Little Rock 9 and how they were treated. We left the school, and came back to the Visitor Center and heard Dr. Sybil Hampton speak. She was so inspirational and intentional. She talked about her experience being ignored for 3 years at school, being spat on, and having no one to support her other than the vice principal and the school secretary. Her overall message was to hold on to hope, and know that even through difficult times, you should understand that you and your actions have a purpose, one that can help the future generation. It was also interesting how supportive her parents were about her attending the school, compared to what the parents of the other activists thought. This reminded me about Martin Luther King Jr. and the way he was raised. It seems that they were both successful because of the positive support. I found it to be pretty cool that Dr. Hampton mentioned Ta-Nehisi Coates and his book and how we came to the same conclusion that he was not hopeful about the future for black lives. 

   We left Little Rock Central High School got some pizza, socialized, and talked about underrated people in our society. Someone had thought a photographer was an underrated person, which I found pretty fascinating, since the photos seem to have more attention than the person who took them. We know famous photos but not photographers, which is a point that I think he also brought up. Coaches were also on the list, but I didn't agree with it because my coaches are valued at my school. However, at another school that might not be the case. We had discussions before about different schools, before we came to Little Rock Central High School, and it was cool how it all connected.

   We arrived at the National Civil Rights Museum. We took some photos outside of the Lorraine Motel. It was interesting how when we went in, the first exhibit related to people we underrate. We watched an intro video, who's projector screen slid over, revealing the museum. We didn't have a lot of time to look over everything, but there we read about Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, and other topics that we had gone over, like sit ins. After buying some gifts from the gift shop, we checked the other museum across, which focused on the shooting of Martin Luther King Jr.. The shooter was suspected of shooting a bullet through a bathroom window of a boarding house, which the second museum took place in. We left, seeing a lady boycotting the museum, and came back on the bus.

   

We dropped our stuff at the Quality Inn and went to Beale Street. We were free roaming the streets with friends and ended up at Blue City Café. I had some fried catfish and shared some gumbo fries. I am just so grateful for the friends I've made as well as the places I've seen. I really hope that I will stay in contact with them and see each other sometime. I am excited to come home and sleep in my bed, but definitely not excited to say goodbye, goodbye to the South and the great people I have met, kids, teachers, activists alike. I had a really great time, and I hope that most people agree with me on this.

   

Nina Feliciano, The Park School