I Have a Dream
The other night, Frank and I and enjoyed the movie Selma, based around the civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. I spent most of my childhood in the Carolinas, but it wasn’t until 2008 that I traveled through Alabama on a road trip.
While standing inside the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute listening to a recording of “I Have A Dream,” I looked across the street at a church. I soon realized I was looking at the 16th Street Baptist Church—the site where 4 African-American girls were killed when that church got bombed. I remember getting goosebumps just being surrounded by history, although an unfortunate part of our history.
Across the street, a park exists which has various memorials back to the Civil Rights Movement. A few blocks away, at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, once again looking through a window, I was reminded of how much segregation was an issue in our country as the tour guide pointed out the Masonic Temple across the street. Etched in marble on this building was the phrase “Colored Masonic Temple.” Reminders of that era will clearly remain throughout time.
Memories
Watching Selma brought back these vivid memories as opening scenes showed various highlights from the civil rights era including 4 young girls walking down the stairwell of a church when it got bombed. Even though I didn’t make it to Selma, it is on my list of places to go. Perhaps I’ll make it when they reenact the march!
From Rosa Parks to Martin Luther King, Jr., to many others whose names will never be known, thank you for paving the way for future generations! For some basic information about the Selma to Montgomery marches, check the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
What significant historical events have affected your life? Please share your story in the comment box below.
Meghan