The Civil Rights Trail: Birmingham

Every year for our anniversary, DF and I like to take a trip together to celebrate. (We're more into experiences than actual gifts.) Usually we go somewhere a little farther away, but given my current status we decided to do a road trip and stay relatively close to home. We visited several spots around Alabama on what I'd say was our most educational vacation yet!

We spent a relaxing week down at Orange Beach, AL. Since school wasn't out yet, the town was quite tranquil. I hear the whole Gulf Shores area becomes a madhouse in the summer. Guess we picked the right time to go!

While I enjoyed being on the beach, I'd say the more memorable parts of the trip were the two weekends that we spent taking in the key spots of the Civil Rights Trail. Alabama was one of the major settings where the Civil Rights movement took shape. Clashes over changing ideas even turned violent there. Important historical sites have been preserved, and now visitors are invited in to remember what happened, I believe with the hope that we'll all keep the ideals of the Civil Rights Movement alive today (rather than relegating it to a back-patting-look-how-far-we've-come corner of a museum).

Since we've been living in Memphis, I've been trying to educate myself more about this era of our nation's history - it's not something I remember learning a whole lot about in school. Or maybe I did, but as a kid it didn't seem as real to me as Lewis & Clark and hardtack and wagons and all that Oregon history we learned about on field trips.

First Stop: Birmingham

Birmingham in the late 50s-early 60s became known as "Bomingham" because of the frequency with which bombs went off around the city, targeting African Americans or whites who supported them. The city had an intense KKK presence and was extremely segregated. The most infamous incident was the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church one Sunday morning, in which 4 girls were killed during Sunday School. It shocked the nation. But no one was caught or prosecuted for the crime until more than a decade later. 

We attended this church on Sunday morning and it was a unique and memorable experience. It was Mother's Day. The pastor's sermon was taken from the story in Exodus of Moses's mother hiding her infant son from the authorities who sought to kill him, then setting him in a basket in the river. It totally reminded me of what I learned in Central America about liberation theology. In this sermon, Moses's mother becomes the example for all mothers, especially African-American mothers, in that she did not accept what society told her about her son. Egyptian society told her that her child was not important-in fact, that he should die. She subverted that paradigm and instead accepted what God told her about her child, that his life mattered. Then she acted with faith, believing God's promises. The pastor related his own personal story of growing up in a poor family, in a high-crime area, and his mother was told he would be in jail or dead by the time he was 25. The pastor (who is well over age 25) testified that God had other plans for his life, and he was not held to those negative ideas that society wanted to perpetuate.

It's hard to capture this experience fully in words. Suffice it to say, if you're ever in Birmingham on a Sunday morning, I recommend you visit this church! Don't be intimidated if you are not black. Yes, almost everyone at the church was black on the day we were there, but you know what? It's good for you (if you're a white person) to be the minority sometimes! Just be friendly and treat others like you'd want to be treated, and I'm sure you'll have a lovely time. We sure did!

We went to several other places around town, including the Civil Rights Institute and the site of the historical marker for MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail. If you've never read that letter or the story behind it, you should click on that link right now. Here's a summary: in April 1963, MLK and others were involved in several acts of non-violent protest against racism and segregation in the city. They were doing things like picketing, marching, sit-ins, etc. They were barred by a judge from demonstrating, but several people violated the ban and got arrested.

After this happened, a group of white religious leaders wrote an "open letter" to the protesters urging them to be patient, seek reforms through established channels, and basically stop causing a ruckus. It was published in the newspaper. MLK wrote an impassioned and eloquent response from his jail cell explaining that now was the time for action, as justice too long delayed is justice denied. This letter is credited as one of the most important documents of the Civil Rights Era as it crystallized the issues in the minds of those who perhaps were on the fence about where exactly they stood on the whole question of "justice for all."

I have lots more thoughts on all these issues, plus Selma and Montgomery to report about, but this post is long enough already. Stay tuned for more updates when I have time!