Montgomery

by Sia 

Today was the perfect day to relate to our cycle theme of 'movement'. After leaving our hotel in the morning, we left for Montgomery, Alabama where we would go on a walking tour of many historic sites. Our first stop was the Rosa Parks museum. There, we watched a documentary of Parks' life as well as went through an interactive exhibit which further explained Rosa Parks' arrest and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. We then ate a picnic style lunch while overlooking the State Capitol of Alabama which we also learnt a little bit of history about. Next we visited the Southern Poverty Law Center. There, we were able to go through another exhibit and watch a video about the forgotten people who gave their lives to the Civil Rights Movement. On our way out, we pledged to the SPLC by writing our name on their wall. Outside of the Southern Poverty Law Center was a memorial including a water fall wall with "...until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty steam", a quote by Martin Luther King Jr., engraved on it. Our next destination was the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, a church in which Martin Luther King Jr. served as senior pastor, for a time of 6 years. Here we met a very enthusiastic and kind lady who also led our tour. We talked about MLK's life and were able to walk through his office as well as learn about the very detailed and meaningful mural painted on a wall that you can see right as you enter the church. We then headed up to the pews where we took pictures with our guide and said a prayer in honor of one of the most inspirational people in American history, Martin Luther King Jr. Our last stop on the walking tour was the First Confederate White House. A graduate of Shaker High School was our tour guide and he talked to us about the cotton growth in southern states as well as the migration to New York taking place. We had the chance to explore the house by ourselves for a bit afterwards as well. After having dinner at Jim and Nick's BBQ, we wrapped up our day by having a blast in the pool at our hotel.