12 March 2017
Our Sunday began early with a 90-minute car ride to Birmingham, where we attended a lively, music-filled, full-blown Baptist Church service at the historic 16th Street Baptist Church. It was the first time that many of us had ever been to a Baptist service. The Harvard Club of Birmingham then treated us to lunch, where we enjoyed conversation ranging from Harvard houses to Steinbeck to particle accelerators—and a few of us got our first taste of fried okra. It was a pleasure meeting Catherine Crowe (President of the Harvard Club of Birmingham), Rowena Frazer (board member of the Harvard Alumni Association) and Jean Shanks who have been longtime supporters of this trip. After lunch, we went back to the church and took an impromptu historical tour from a man who was familiar with the area and had a chance to reflect on Civil Rights in the neighboring outdoor exhibit. There was a nearby sculpture garden that portrayed the heroism of the “foot soldiers” during the civil rights movement. I think each member of the trip was shocked by the brutality and persecution that protestors faced but also moved by their perseverance and camaraderie in the face of impossible odds.
We saw all of Birmingham and conquered our fears of heights from the top of the tower at Vulcan Park. This beautiful park provided a scenic view of the city of Birmingham (and of course we took a group photo here). As we were enjoying the sunshine and the view, we reminisced about what life would have been like pre-Civil Rights movement. It’s incredible to imagine that in one lifetime some folks in town lived through the Civil Rights movement and continue to live in the present day “new” south. The next stop of the afternoon was Railroad Park which had a modern feel to it but was charming nonetheless. This park was the 2012 Urban Open Space Award Winner and is well known as one of the must-see locations in Birmingham. With that, we headed back to Decatur where the team was very excited to have dinner at a Waffle House. After yet another full Southern meal, we were off to a host family’s house for an evening of board games before heading to bed “early” in preparation for our first day of work in the morning!
PBHA Alternative Spring Break Trips 2017 