Day 5: "Get in the Way" - Selma

In March 2008, I had the opportunity to meet a historical hero of mine, John Lewis. Congressman Lewis was a participant of just about every significant struggle of the Civil Rights era, from the sit-ins to voter rights initiatives. Moreover, he continues to lead the charge to secure the most basic of human rights for citizens of the nation and world. During my few short moments with him, I asked what I, as a professor interested in teaching Movement history, should instruct students to take from the example that he and so many others set some 50 years before. Congressman Lewis didn't even hesitate to search for a proper answer. He looked me in the eye and simply said, "Tell your students to get in the way."



Throughout his adult life, Lewis has been the embodiment of "getting in the way." He laid his life on the line more than once and has the physical scars to prove it. But more importantly for him is the continued progress toward justice and freedom that society has taken and the willingness of generations after him to follow his lead.

It is this reason why I wanted the Stratford-Richardson teens to visit Selma, Alabama. All too often, the events that took place throughout the early months of 1965 are seldom mentioned in school classrooms with the weight of the Montgomery Bus Boycott or Birmingham Children's Marches. However, to hear veterans of the Movement explain the narrative, Selma seems to be the hallmark.

The group booked a Footprints to Freedom tour with the National Voting Rights Museum. This allowed us to visit the small, but compelling exhibit halls of the museum, to see the landmarks of the Selma campaign, including the Brown Chapel AMC Church (the organizational hub for the 1965 marches). Our tour guide, Sam, directed us through a mind-boggling series of details that led to the Selma to Montgomery march. More importantly for our students though was the willingness of Mr. Sam to share his memories of 1965. He was 11 years old that year--so much like our time spent in Birmingham, the students could directly connect him to their own lives. In addition, they now had someone tangible to discuss those experiences with. No longer were Movement participants simply pictures, words on a page, or a series of monuments; they were flesh and bone.



A surprise element to our tour was a visit to the Slavery and Civil War Museum. There the group participated in a historical drama that similated what the experience of slavery must have been like for millions of men, women, and children compelled to relinquish their freedom and dignity. The experience was chilling, and as a teacher concerned me somewhat. I didn't quite know how these young men and women might handle the in-your-face approach to history. Thankfully, a planned discussion and reflection ended the program. Amist tears and emotion, we shared the experience, questions, and vowed to return home changed people.

Our final task was to march the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which has become the most recognizable symbol of Selma--tied directly with the brutality of the Alabama State Patrol, the bravery of voting rights marchers, and one of the most significant successes of the Movemnt. I walked the bridge with both my daughters, Elly and Sarah. Young Sarah (who is 6) was particularly worried about the height of the bridge and the swift waters of the Alabama River below. She wasn't sure that she wanted to cross to the other side. I reminded her that this was the very bridge that John Lewis marched across in 1965. For her 1st grade Social Studies project, Sarah created a biographical poster explaining Congressman Lewis's historical significance. I told her the story of Mr. Lewis crossing the bridge knowing that he would probably be beaten that day. The alternative to jump into the waters below proved not much better for him--he could not swim. Yet, with all those realities facing him, John Lewis vowed to "get in the way."



That was enough for Sarah to raise her head up and proudly march the rest of the way.