The first stop that we made was to the Kelly Ingram park. To me, this was the most interesting thing about this trip. There were sculptors of attack dogs and children being hosed down by fire hoses. If you didn't know this, Kelly Ingram park was the spot where the Children's March was. It was a little disturbing, but the fascinating spots and sculptors drew me in.
The next spot was the Civil Rights Institute. It was a hands-down well performed tour. I learned about James Maredith, the man who integrated the Mississippi University, otherwise known as Ole Miss. The scary thing about him was he was attempted to be assassinated and had to be escorted to class and everywhere on campus by soldiers 24/7. The sad part was he was attacked from a bush, and hit with a shotgun blast.
The last place we visited was the 16th Street Baptist Church. This church is special because 4 teenage girls were killed by a bomb here in 1963. The spot was rebuilt into a kitchen, which was a bit disturbing to me, because something like that should be preserved. It was also where mass meetings would be held to plan sit-ins and marches and other retaliation to the white man. In my opinion, the most important thing this church served as, was when they marched to the bridge, they refuged back here. The scary thing was the tear-gassed them and once they got to the church, the shot the windows.
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Hi, my name is Howard Romaine, and I think your review of the tour you took, and the recounting of the reactions of the students, is most valuable. Vanderbilt sponsored a similar tour earlier in the decade. I hope this learning history of the 'movement' by touring the sites, and having an informed witness, or participant, or scholar - or all three - continues to grow.
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