The Waffle Cooks

January 16th 2017

I first started this day by watching CNN as I ate my finally successful waffle. On CNN there was a speech about our president elect, Donald Trump and the crude things he's said about Congressman John Lewis . John Lewis is someone who did the work of abolishing segregation through the Freedom Rides and Selma. So, if almost getting beat to death is all talk the I don't know anything.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

This was the first place we went as a group. We started off with a 8 minute video about Birmingham. One thing that I learned was that black people helped the city thrive with coal mining and they were paid horribly low, but the people helped their families get education and access to health care. Due to this being after slavery they had a strict color divide that was informed by brutality, so black people made their own thriving communities. What hit me the most wasn't a part of the institute, but it was by a person who was there. It was a little girl who was looking at the exhibit and kept saying " That isn't fair." At that point the institute made me realize that if she can get it then everyone understands what's going on and we are masking the impact using coping mechanisms like Trump who is blaming the people because law enforcement and the rest of government can't be wrong although it wouldn't be the first time they were wrong.

Activists 

Today for lunch not only were we fed some amazing soul food from Alabama but we also fed some wisdom from some Activists in the Civil Rights Movement .

•Cleopatra Goree

She was a history and English  teacher when her students walked out the classroom to protest. From there she followed them and fought for Civil Rights. They would go to 16th street church to sing hymns, listen to speakers and talk about the next steps in the movement. This is how a classroom should be in my opinion open-walled and personalized , but I need guidance on how to do so as a future educator. With that being said, I asked her what advice would she give to a future educator? Some key things that I got from her that with teaching is a calling because you don't get paid enough and you're also think what would you do at the kids age.We can't group all children the same.

•Katherine Burkes Brooks

She's from Birmingham and went to school in Nashville. She told us about their childhood and how she lived in an area that you could go 5 blocks before being in a white neighborhood. At a young age she was fed up with going through segregation to spend time with her mom downtown and to go to and from school. Her first run in with the bull (Bull Connor) was when Paul Brooks (her boyfriend and husband ) sat together on the bus and the Bull came on and took them off. Then he tried to narrow down who was a Freedom rider based off their tickets. When he took them in for their ticket destination, then, John Lewis and her were promised a ride from jail to Nashville from Bull Connor and he dropped them off in the middle of no where.  She expressed how that experience went. He picked them up in then she went through that moment when they almost stopped the Freedom ride after a bombing. 

•Barbara Mines

She was a child marcher in the 1960's. Her mom was determined to go to every Civil Rights meeting at every church. Every meeting was standing room only. Selma decided to have the children march but her mom refused to her let her march and made her promise to to go to school. Instead she went to School to put her books in her locker and went to march. They sent them in groups of 50's in different ways. As she crossed the street she got arrested and put in the wagon at the county jail that was packed. Then the Juvenile Penitentiary. she was moved 3 times for singing Freedom songs. They slept on the metal of the cot and they put them in the sweat house which was super small with metal walls. As kids hey were sick and tired of discrimination and segregation and not to get books and materials. When you're younger and have heavy emotions with something you have a low fear.

Pre-Selma

After all that we did today I realized how meaningful and needed  it is for me to remain strong and become more proactive in black greatness and politics for my little cousins and the rest of the next generation. Today after the museum I was able to see the MLK Celebration in the park on the other side and it was just like Ms. Goree said the outside of the 16th Street Church was full of snacks, hotdogs and  just a celebration in the park. As a teen I also agree with Ms. Goree because we don't have enough physical conversation and that's something that we need to start and pass on to the next generation. I just keep repeating that we all have a seat at the table of America, what are we gonna do with it, but I never answered it. With my seat at the table of America I will use the knowledge and wisdom that I've obtained to uplift and educate my generation and the future generation. I remain to be a life long learner. I will carry on Martin Luther King Jr's dream of his kids and youth not being judged by their race but by the content of their character. I will also expand the categories of the what is not to be judged, such as gender and sexual orientation because we all deserve peace and not to be oppressed. I vow to do these things and be a instrument for thy peace as I walk across the Selma bridge so we can overcome these injustices as Civil Rights activists and leader to overcome segregation and voting rights for black people. 

Post -Selma

Overall after today I feel answered because I now found my "how?" question. I need to create conversation, uplift and educate myself and others and love myself. Yes, it will be difficult like my waffle who remained to stay undone yesterday, but it will be okay if you take it one day at a time .

Victoria Able, City Neighbors High School