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.