Civil Rights Pilgrimage Journals (Photo by Michael Wald)

The following personal accounts were written by students who participated in a seven-day Civil Rights Pilgrimage during spring break. This pilgrimage, put together by the Chaplin’s Office, took students, faculty and staff to Jackson, Miss.; Selma, Ala.; Montgomery, Ala; Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.; and Memphis, Tenn., all cities that played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement 40 years ago. Students visited museums, landmarks and influential people, each telling a different perspective of the Movement. Nine students attended as a part of the independent study course titled An American Social Movement: Civil Rights in the United States, taught by history professor Dr. Glenn Linden. The first account by Anna Kirby tells about Jimmy Travis, who was shot in the head as a young man. The second account by Chelsea Golden tells about her visit to Metgar Evers home and the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham, Ala.

Anna Kirby

March 10, 2005

Tomorrow we leave for the civil rights trip … So I’ve been thinking about how to prepare. I don’t mean what to pack or any of that — I mean how do you prepare mentally and emotionally for a trip like this? These race issues are real. What happened has happened. And I think that it is yet to be dealt with, even until now, in the hearts of men (and women) — both black and white. So therein lies my resolve — to have an open heart and mind and deal with any issues that remain in me, and the emotions tied to them. I know that’s what it is going to take in order for my life to be a model of racial reconciliation. It would be so easy for all of us to just go on a trip together and then just come back and go on with our daily lives, as if we were unaffected. I am asking God to allow us to not only see, hear and experience, but to help us to translate these things into our own lives and relationships, that so that we may receive and give freedom, healing and wholeness across racial lines.

March 12, 2005

The story of Jimmie Travis was amazing as he stood and shared about being shot twice, once in the head. God spared his life, and so he lives to tell his story. He was a young man, along with several others, who fought to be treated as a human — and prevailed. And even when their lives come to an end, their legacy will last for years to come.

March 14, 2005

I’ve been thinking a lot lately of music as a force of social change. We see this in artists throughout history, but especially within the last several decades, and now more than ever. Many of the people who have shared with us their memories of the Civil Rights Movement have attested to the fact that this movement was birthed out of the church, and that they would often sing songs of unity, likening their own experiences to Biblical happenings. This music was a unifying force that stated not only the social injustices, but also the hope beyond that they found in the Lord, Jesus Christ. This faith and hope is what they believe carried them through. I am reminded of a more recent song written in the 80s by Tracy Chapman called “Across the Lines.” In many ways, it states the reality of the situation among races today. Though laws have been passed, and things are different on the books, we still fall short because of problems that begin in our hearts. Perhaps, as a generation, we can read this song and not only understand the reality of racism, but take it a step further as they did 40 and 50 years ago, and live out the hope of going ‘across the lines.’

Across the lines / Who would dare to go / Under the bridge / Over the tracks / That separates whites from blacks

Choose sides / Or run for your life / Tonight the riots begin / On the back streets of America / They kill the dream of America

Little black girl gets assaulted / Ain’t no reason why / Newspaper prints the story / And racist tempers fly / Next day it starts a riot / Knives and guns are drawn / Two black boys get killed / One white boy goes blind / Little black girl gets assaulted / Don’t no one know her name / Lots of people hurt and angry / She’s the one to blame

Chelsea Golden

I wrote this after seeing a picture at the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham: I have never before seen this picture. It is of an African-American man lynched and a small white girl standing next to his hanging corpse. The smile on her face horrifies me, and for the first time on the trip, I break down and sob. I cry not only for the man lynched, but for the thousands of children, black and white, who witnessed the atrocities of white supremacy and who were brainwashed by ignorant and hateful adults. This child must have been taught if she could stand so near to death and smile so proudly. It’s terrible — and Ashley stood next to me as I wept. And I wanted to apologize to her. She reminded me of something Reverend Woods had told us; that had these men not fought and died for the cause of civil rights, Ashley and I wouldn’t have been allowed to stand together and comfort each other. So we held each other there for a moment and, in our own way, celebrated.

Here, I am writing after we saw Metgar Evers’ home and heard his story: Today has been truly enlightening. My emotions include a sense of shame, but I am mainly awed. Shame because I had never heard of Metgar Evers, awe at the amazing lives we’ve witnessed. His story, and the stories of so many are clear evidence of what happens when ignorance meets hatred. I think the part that was most difficult for me to hear was the fact that the closest hospital wouldn’t treat him because he was black. The idea that there was actually white blood and black blood available for transfusions is horrible to me. This man was dying and the very people who took the Hippocratic Oath refused to save him. It is monstrous.

Ultimately, I agree with many of my fellow pilgrims when I say that the Civil Rights Movement was a spiritual battle. It was a spirit of hatred which empowered these acts of violence and it was only the Spirit of God which delivered those who were oppressed. Every person we encountered spoke of prayer and faith and the power of the Living God. This cannot be overlooked.