A Final Thank You - A Look Toward the Future

As the bus entered the Stratford Richardson YMCA parking lot late last Saturday, the group buzzed with excitement. Parents and siblings filled the lot and rushed to greet us. Hugs and laughter flowed as the students reunited with loved ones and said quick good-byes to new friends. This is always a very chaotic and bittersweet scene for me. I'd love the time to address the group as a whole and remind them that this end is merely a beginning in the work of our program and in developing their futures. But this is difficult to do in the euphoria of reaching the end of the tour. A couple of students handed me a few notes of gratitude signed by those on the bus. I took a quick peek when I settled into my car for the short trip home. But the message of one of the notes did not sink in until several days later. Below is Breanna Washington's letter . . . . and embedded in this blog is my appreciation for a group of young men and women who strive for the best in themselves and in their world. I look forward to being a part of the future that they will create.

Mr. Mike-

The past 7 days with you and the group have been the most amazing, most memorable days of my life. You have opened my eyes to so much usable history. You have taught me things that I can use for a lifetime. Thank you for all you have done, not only for me, but for the entire group. You have honestly changed the person that I am.

I am so grateful to be experiencing such a "usable past," to build my long awaited future. Everyday I think to myself . . . "wow, he really doesn't have to do this." This was a choice of yours. I am honored that you are working with the youth of the community and teaching them about their civil rights. Whether black, white, hispanic, or asian, we have have equal, civil rights.

Gay, straight, black, white

same struggle, same fight

-Breanna Washington

From the College Student Perspective

A new element to the 2010 Creating a Usable Past program has been to incorporate college student mentors from Pfeiffer University. The tour was fortunate to have two college students offering their perspective to our young people. Below is the reaction at week's end from History major, Amber Covington.

from Amber Covington

As a college student on this tour, I learned an extensive amount of civil rights history. From Nashville to Tuskegee, I visited many historical landmarks dedicated to important events and figures during the Civil Rights Movement. In Memphis, I enjoyed the Stax Museum because I had the chance to visit where singers Otis Redding, Isaac hayes, and Booker T & the MGs and many others began their musical careers. The museum was very enriching with music and allowed me to take a look at a community that developed soul music. The museum stands in the heart of the community along with buildings that are still existing today. Walking along the sidewalks I felt I was able to feel and live the history.

From the few days in Montgomery, AL I enjoyed viewing the capitol, Dexter Avenue/King Memorial Church and parsonage, the Rosa Parks Museum and the Civil Rights Memorial Center. In a few of these cities, I was appalled by the setting of the civil rights memorials, museums, and monuments. In some cases these places were surrounded by Confederate memorials. In Montgomery, the civil rights sites are located within a few blocks of the capitol building where Jefferson Davis is praised for his leadership during the Civil War. From my point of view, this shows a very interesting view of the civil rights versus the Civil War. I am left with a question of which of the two were most important to the people in each of these places.

From the tour I was able to gain a better understanding of the movement by getting more background information on important people, organizations, and events.

From the Counselor's Perspective

The group returned safely last Saturday night. And I must admit that it has taken a while to recover from a week on the road--readjusting to a proper diet, better sleep patterns, no bus rides, and the euphoria of the tour itself. But it seemed appropriate to revisit and post a few late offerings to the blog. Below are thoughts from Malachia Pauling, counselor for the youth programs at the Stratford-Richardson YMCA.

from Malachia Pauling

As we left Charlotte [last Sunday], all I could do was look into the face of the teens and wonder how this experience would affect their lives. As the days passed by this week, I watched them as they began to transform from teenagers to young men and women--ready to carry-on the struggle of our ancestors.

Of the sites we visited that really had an impact on me, our day in Selma, AL at the National Voting Rights Museum and the Slavery and Civil War Museum rose to the top. Ms. Afriye We-Kandodis runs the Slavery and Civil War Museum. She said something to the kids that struck me. She told them not to forget the past, but embrace it and use it so that the past does not repeat itself. While at the National Voting Rights Museum, I had the pleasure to meet and speak with Ms. Ann Avery, who was one of the foot soldiers in the March from Selma to Montgomery [in 1965]. She was also beaten on Bloody Sunday. She was 18 years old at the time. Even with the beating days before, she was able to complete the 54 mile march from Selma to Montgomery.

When we arrived in Montgomery, we were able to march up to the Alabama Capitol building [which we were not able to do during last year's trip]. As I walked up the steps of the building, my iPod happened to be playing Marvin Sapp's "Never Would Have Made It." As I looked down from the top of the steps where Dr. King stood and gave his stirring speech to close the march, I could see the masses of people who marched the 54 miles. I felt so much emotion standing there. The song states, "never would have made it without you. I'm stronger, I'm wiser, I am better--much better."

Just down the street form the capitol is where Dr. King lived for 6 years while preaching at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. I was given the honor of unlocking and opening the very same door Dr. King opened for those years to enter his home. I am very thankful for this experience [and for being able to participate in this program for a second time]. Everything that you are able to witness on this trip you can't help but feel the spirit, the souls of our ancestors move inside of you--pushing, pulling, and urging you to fight-on. We as a people, as a nation, have come through so much, but the fight is not over yet. We must keep fighting and never give up. This is one reason that this trip is so important to these kids and everyone they may touch.

We all have some mountains to climb in our lives, but form the past we can gain strength, hope, and faith that we will make it to the top. NEVER GIVE UP!!

Shake the World

Today, the group ventured to Selma, Alabama to study the events surrounding the 1965 push for voter rights that gained worldwide attention after the February killing of Jimmy Lee Jackson and the March beatings of protesters on their way to Montgomery. A who's who of civil rights activists made appearances throughout those months. But it was the ordinary people willing to attempt extraordinary things that carried forth the vision of the leaders of the movement. Stratford-Richardson counselor, Melissa, explains how this became evident to her today at the National Voting Rights Museum.


from Melissa

"In a gentle way, you can shake the world." -Mahatma Gandhi

My life was changed today in Selma, Alabama. A spark lit, fire ignited. The spark of change. It was like someone unlocked a door and behind it laid my destiny, my purpose. I was honored enough to meet Ms. Ann Pearle Avery who was 18 years old, when she marched on Bloody Sunday. Who was 18 years old and beaten, bloodied, bruised for justice. She was jailed. I was speechless. History had come to life right before my eyes. It breathed and laughed; it held my hand and passed to me the baton of revolution. "How did you do it?" I asked her. "Weren't you afraid?" She smiled and replied, "I was ready . . . ready for change and that, my dear, drove all fear away. There was no time for fear, cuz change was at our front door." She described to me her role in SNCC and told me how she had helped register blacks in Selma's neighboring counties.

I asked her was it worth it. Did she feel that the following generation had proved her efforts. She replied by telling me "Honey, there is still so much to do. If this was my day we would be marching like crazy." And I agree with her. As a teacher, I see the discrepancies in schools and resources. The invisible color lines of Charlotte, NC, the literacy rate of certain neighborhoods, the dropout rates in others. But, I often ask myself the same question that I asked Ms. Avery today. "What do I do? How do I fight?" Ms. Avery responded with an anecdote from her youth. She said that when she was about my age she felt that there was more she could so. So she went to a mentor from SNCC and asked her to help Ms. Avery plan something to evoke change. Ms. Avery said her mentor replied, saying, "I'm not gonna do that; you've gotta do that on your own. Every man has his own fight." This was the same answer that Ms. Avery gave me. She said, "when you think something is wrong, open your mouth and say something; and if you have something that can help someone else, give it to them . . . and organize." She said, "you got a fire in you that the world can't put out. Use that voice. Use it!"

Ms. Avery may not remember my name or my face. She may not even remember saying these words. But my encournter with Ms. An Pearle Avery changed my life and inspired me to say something, give something; and whether its in heart, mind, or body, she inspired me that when I see injustice MARCH LIKE CRAZY!

On the Experience at Mid-Week

Late last night, nearly all of the students crowded into my hotel room to share a planned meeting that they had (without the adult mentors and chaperones) to develop a way to get the message of Creating a Usable Past to a broader audience of their peers when they return. Beyond the chance to experience the history up-close, this is the real purpose of the program. These students received invitations to the program because they are recognized leaders in their schools and communities. But with this leadership comes a heavy burden of responsibility. I can assure the readership of the blog that these young people do not take this lightly. They are encouraged to excel not only for themselves, but for those who come after . . . and isn't that what the history of the Movement teaches us, anyway?

from Darryl McCray

We black people have come a long way from where we once were. I can go all day about how we were dragged through the dirt and got the worst end of the stick. We all were given a gift from God and have to give a positive output no matter how bad the input. Just think all this over . . . the way that God made us, we had no control over what color we came out.

I always wondered why school never taught us about "the colored man" who overcame mountains to get to that little gold coin when really all along he deserved it. Instead we learn about slaves and the brutal things that were done to them. We never heard that if it wasn't for us mostly everything you see wouldn't be here. Then again we did get beaten and hanged for trying to better ourselves and others.

Editorial note: On June 15, 2010, Congressman (and movement veteran) John Lewis announced that after a steady campaign, he would finally be able to participate in a recognition ceremony of the work that slaves had done in contribution to the building of the Capitol.

See the following link: http://johnlewis.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=753

The Power of a Park - Birmingham, AL

Even if students can't place the exact date or city or even details, they almost always have vivid images in their minds when asked about police dogs and fire hoses unleashed on young protesters, or about the "Four Little Girls." Last year's tour seemed to hit its stride when we spent the better part of a day on 16th Street in Birmingham, Alabama. Touring the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park, and 16th Street Baptist Church seems to put the students in direct connection to 1963. And why shouldn't it? The protesters who filled up jails and risked bodily harm overwhelmingly represent their age group. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carol Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley each left this world tragically and violently around the average age of our students. Birmingham's story is compelling and all-too-real for these young people. I'll let you readers judge if this year's class was affected in a similar way . . .

from Byanna Norwood

Thoughts on Kelly Ingram Park

They sprayed,
They spat,
They threw dynamite,
And that was that.

The spray burned,
The spit stung,
The dynamite killed.

They laughed,
We cried.
They put out dogs,
Children died.

The laughter hurt,
The tears eventually dried.
The dogs bit,
But nobody was tried.

We did it for freedom.
F-R-E-E-D-O-M
It was a march for freedom,
A march to free me.

from Nevahl Nixon
Today was a moving experience for me at Kelly Ingram Park. Its always easy to see a statue and give your own input, but to get the in depth perspective of someone who came up around the civil rights movement and knows so much about it [our group was approached to a local man who was two years old in 1963 and has lived his whole live in Birmingham]. The man from the park has been the most moving person/thing on this trip. He is what I needed to ignite that fire I've been waiting for; his words were true and descriptive about race relations in Birmingham and events that transpired during the time period. I'm deeply inspired. I want to make a change!

Also...aside from the educational aspect of the trip, I would like to say "thank you" to everyone involved. With this trip we are more than teens on a mission, we are a family, and I love each and everyone of these people.

from Keith Miller
Kelly Ingram Park inspired me to appreciate people and do stuff that's right for us. Besides seeing the monuments, I had a great opportunity to listen to a [local] man who inspired me by sharing his perspective at Kelly Ingram Park.

The other thing that has inspired me was the bombing that killed those four little girls. This bombing has had an emotional effect on me. The question that I would like to ask is towards the men who bombed the church. Did they have any idea that they were going to murder 4 innocent girls?

from Vandell Jackson
The things I've seen and learned on this trip are amazing. A lot of the things I've seen I really had no clue about. Today, we learned about the "four little girls" and how they died in their church. The first thought that came to my head was "why?" and who in their right mind would blow up a church? Every time I saw a KuKluxKlan robe on our museum tour, I would get mad and feel as though I wanted to set it on fire.

I understand that these things happened in the past, and that I shouldn't go out and hate people who don't believe in the same way I do. I understand this through the example and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King. To me that says you are no better than them when you try to turn to violence when they hit you (or worse). We as black people need to stop hurting each other and come together. As Denzel Washington's character in The Great Debaters says . . . Jim Crow has found a way to take the black man's mind and keep the muscle. Now tell me how that makes you feel?

from Geordea Herron
16th Street Baptist Church was one of the saddest things that I had ever seen. I feel sorry for the families of the "four little girls," and even though I wasn't there to witness it all - what I saw was good enough. If it was my child I don't know what I would've done. But the families were strong. But why wait 14 long years to put the murderer away! I saw pictures of the bodies. They looked like coal . . . it was scary for them, and for me.

Being in Kelly Ingram Park made me thing of how selfish we are today. We teens, that is. Kids our age were fighting to go to school with whites, and now we fight with our parents because we aren't allowed to go to the mall because we didn't clean up.

Personal Sacrifice

It is difficult to exaggerate the amount of intentional personal sacrifice in the quest for equality throughout a study of the Civil Rights era. Students of the movement recognize this immediately and almost always compare those "ordinary people doing extraordinary things" to themselves.

Ayana Daniel is no different - Her thoughts after our visit to the National Civil Rights Museum.

No one would even think about wanting to go to jail today in our society. Whereas everyone during the Civil Rights Movement wanted to go to jail. Abraham Wood states: "My three oldest daughters went to jail, and my baby at the time, my oldest son, cried because he couldn't go. He was about 5 years old, and he wanted to go, too." This statement amazed me because when there is a leader, there will always be followers. This should be an inspiration to everyone because it shows how if your believe in something you should take control of it because someone is always watching.

Music Alive

A theme over the past two days has been the significance of music to African-American culture and to the Civil Rights Movement. Visits to the Stax Records Museum in Memphis and the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, MS [plus, seeing and hearing protesters on documentary footage link arms and sing a variety of spirituals] has helped establish a context for the relationship between music and the spirit of the times.

Breanna Washington uses her poetic approach to explain her sense of music's place:

Mentally integrated emotions run wild and dance until night ends.

Untamed bodies move to the beat and sway to the sound of easy listening.

Singing hearts and tapping feet give the juke joint its smoking flavor.

Interacial music . . . brings everyone near and everyone has an open ear.

Can you hear the long lost Blues, the jazzy tunes? Can you move . . . to the music alive?

The Peer Mentor's Perspective

One of the most significant features of the 2010 version of Creating a Usable Past has been the development of a peer mentor's program. Our inaugural tour saw nine young people experience civil rights history up close. This year, two of those students, Beau DeVaul and Fredo Davis, have joined the program again. Like our new students, they have met in the large group setting since April 15, but the bar for them is set a little higher. They have the opportunity to enhance their base of knowledge, but they are also expected to provide insight and encouragement to the new initiates.

Beau DeVaul provides some perspective on his experience as a first-time peer mentor:

It is a bit of a strange feeling watching others prosper in the knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement, as I was a new-comer last year and know something about what they are going through. At the same time there is a sense of joy, because I can watch others learn about very important history. I am excited to see all of what the new students learn, and the reactions they have to what they learn. I hope that they can take what they learn from this trip and apply it to their lives back home.

Thoughts, Reflections, and Musings from Tennessee

I've been amazed thus far at the willingness of our students to engage in conversations and personal reflections on the tour and the sites we have seen. They have taken the term "mobile classroom" in its most literal sense. Tonight, I invited the students to visit me in the lobby of our Memphis hotel to discuss the past couple of days and especially the idea of "public history" and its value. After some 90 minutes of lively exchange, I had to send them to their rooms for a little rest. Tomorrow is another exciting, yet tough bit of travel from Memphis to Clarksdale and Oxford, MS and on to Birmingham, AL [with the heat index reaching into the triple digits].

Below are some of the written reactions from students' journals after our Tennessee excursions.

from Sydney Espy - on sit-ins

If I was a part of the sit-in [protest] in Tennessee, I would be able to remain non-violent. I think that in order to show maturity and prove a point, non-violence shows power and strength. Even though it was for a good cause, it would be hard to tolerate people spitting on me, or calling me the "N" word. For that, I admire the people who went through it so that I could have freedom to sit anywhere I wanted without any trouble.

from Geordea Herron - on the National Civil Rights Museum

Today we toured the Lorraine Motel, and I couldn't believe that I was actually there. I was so excited. There was so much to learn and a lot of the information I saw I didn't know! I really want to take my education even more seriously; I'm happy that I was able to participate.

from Nevahl Nixon - at the Lorraine Motel

The trip is very interesting so far. I am already thinking about how I can use this experience to make a change in someone else's life. I am looking forward to going to Memphis and seeing the museums and their relevance.

. . . This is a breathtaking sight to see. I have so many things racing through my mind. You hear about this place all your life; but once you're here, it's amazing.

The View from Day One - Nashville, TN

Nashville, TN seems an unexpected destination to begin a tour of the Civil Rights Movement - especially since we arrived on the last day of the Country Music Association's annual festival. But, consider these names: W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin, Jim Lawson, John Lewis, Diane Nash, James Bevel. At some point in each of their lives, they all resided and were active in the push for equal rights in Nashville.

We made brief stops at Fisk University - an HBC that dates back to 1866 - and Clark Memorial United Methodist Church - an unassuming, red brick structure that was central to the development of the philosophy, training, and practice of non-violent, direct action.

The big challenge for these students was to consider themselves and their society 50 years after the start of the sit-ins. I asked if they felt that they had the temperament and discipline to approach something they believed deeply in with a totally non-violent approach. More than half felt they could. But several felt that such discipline would prove difficult and may not necessarily be the most practical approach. What's interesting is that our group last year had a similar take on the matter. It will be compelling to see if our new class's mindset evolves as last year over the course of the week.

Some pictures from today's sites:


At the Harry Elson Memorial
Gate - Fisk University








Students at the W.E.B. DuBois statue
Fisk University

Considering the Week Ahead

As our students boarded the bus outside the Stratford Richardson YMCA (after a warm and joyous community sendoff), I challenged them to use the time during the ride to write down some thoughts or expectations for the trip. I half-expected to get an eye-roll or two or maybe that look that suggests one can't hear over the music blasting in an ear bud. It is, afterall, only the third day of summer vacation.

But one thing that I've learned about the students in this class of Creating a Usable Past--they trend towards moving beyond the expected. These young men and women did make a conscious choice to extend their school year an additional week to be a part of this program.

Just a few hours into the ride, Breanna Washington presented the second in a series of poems related to our studies that she has composed. In this verse, she speaks on behalf of the group and the weight of what we are about to embark upon.

Tracking Back

Eager hearts to study the past
Keeping memories alive at last.

Let's go down South to the fields and hurt
the shackles on their feet
as they craw thru the dirt.

Let's dig a hole and dig it deep
discover our roots and clense our feet.

Take a step back into time
let's walk the path
of the ones before
take new leaps
and open new doors.

and I promise . . .

the ones ahead will know my name
and that the journey before wasn't
taken in vain.

A Conversation with History

It is not often that students of History get the opportunity to sit down, listen, and learn from those who initiated the change and reaped its benefits. One of the draws to contemporary historical topics over the years has been the ability to hear the perspective of the participants. The students from the Creating a Usable Past program were afforded the chance to sit down with icons of the Charlotte area civil rights movement this past Thursday (June 10) at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Culture and Arts. Below are two journal entries written by Bryanna Norwood and Ayana Daniel about their impressions of the evening.

Bryanna Norwood

Thursday night, we got to meet three important people who helped with the Civil Rights Movement in Charlotte: Sarah Stevenson, who helped with the integration of the schools through busing; Julius Chambers, a lawyer who went to the Supreme Court with a case against CMS because of their non-compliance with integration; and Harvey Gantt, who was the first African-American major of Charlotte [and the first to integrate Clemson University].

Meeting them let me see that there are people in my own backyard who have changed cities, states, and maybe even the country. They inspire me to change places by taking just one step at a time. All of these activists before me did something for my good. I can do the same for someone else.

Seeing all the people who came out Thursday night showed me that we have support. There is a challenge at hand with the support we have. I know we can accomplish it.

Ayana Daniel

Most of the previous civil rights leaders are dead. So when you are living in a society where everything they fought and [were willing to] die for seems to be retrogressing, the first thing I want to know is “How do they feel about society today, and do they feel as if their work is in vain?”

On Thursday at the Harvey B. Gantt Center, I had the opportunity to meet three civil rights advocates. I was honored to sit in front of three of the most significant people in Charlotte [Harvey Gantt, Sarah Stevenson, and Julius Chambers]. I was particularly interested and impressed by Mr. Chambers. He has argued and won many court cases, yet the most significant to me is Swann v. CMS, which was taken to the Supreme Court.

From my perspective, life is a pyramid; at the bottom there is knowledge, in the middle there is application, and on the top is creation. Mr. Chambers fascinates me because he dwells at the top of my pyramid, which is absolutely where I am headed with the help of the Creating a Usable Past program. Mr. Chambers created a way to integrate public schools with busing and his idea was a success; therefore, my future plans will not only include applying what I am learning from this program to my everyday life, but also using it to lead to many successful creations such as Mr. Chambers has done. I would like to thank Mr. Gantt, Mr. Chambers, and Mrs. Stevenson for sharing their very interesting past with me. I’m sure it will help me structure not only my future, but the world’s future, also.

Step-by-Step

The final preparations for the 2010 Creating a Usable Past tour (for both facilitators and students) have prevented dedicated blogging over the course of the last few week. The school year ended for our participants yesterday afternoon, but prior to that day, they have been hard at work putting final touches on projects, completing End of Grade and End of Course testing, and looking forward to busy summers.

In addition to the focus on their classroom studies, I've been overwhelmed by the focus and attention that our group has had on building a context for the travels that will commence on Sunday morning. We have continued our Thursday meetings to develop a solid group dynamic and learn some history, but students have also been willing to give-up some Saturdays to gather with YMCA-appointed mentors, meet area representatives of the press, and assist in telling community supporters about our program.

The program and our students have been featured this week in the Charlotte Post and on Time Warner Cable's News-14. I'm increasingly amazed at how polished all of the students are at sharing their ideas in front of adults and with their peers. I've often considered what more I might have to offer them.

Then, I think back on my day yesterday (June 10). I had the great fortune to be a part of the dedication of Freedom Park's "Garden of Forgiveness" -developed and sponsored by WTVI and the Red Bench Ambassadors. Individual sponsors and community organizations were recognized for their support in an effort to open forums for conversation, reconciliation, and healing; but the mid-morning event focussed its attention on Dorothy C0unts-Scoggins, who integrated Harding High School in 1957, and several of her white, high school counterparts. They have worked diligently over the past few years to create friendships in spite of the barriers forced by law and society some 50 years ago. Those gathered witnessed the "beloved community" in action and have been tapped as Red Bench Ambassadors, also.

It was Mrs. Scoggins' story in a student meeting several weeks ago that elicited a poem from the pen of Creating a Usable Past participant Breanna Washington. The verse, "Step-by-Step" reads:

Step by Step

inch by inch

my every move judged

scolded by every flinch

my eyes look forward

head held high

my ears don't listen

as my heart begins to cry

I see the "whites only" sign

blacks to the back

no shame in my walk

won't hit the road and pack

'cause I know one day things will change

if not by my hands

then my kids will lead the way

I know my place on judgment day

whether black or white

we all meet the same fate.

Although it is obvious that students like Breanna already possess the tools and the passion to do well in school, I like to think that Creating a Usable Past offers an opportunity to push them a little further--to expose them to stories they may not have considered and to help them look for ways to get the most out of this experience and, perhaps, pay it forward someday.