Day Two

Cecilia Nunez ’20
12 March 2017

We started today at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, which includes the Lorraine Motel, the site of Martin Luther King’s assassination. It was an incredibly powerful experience for all of us involved and we were able to connect with events in history. You learn about civil rights in school and the bare bones of it all. But the artifacts and stories at the museum made it come alive. It was a great real start to our trip, and I think that it was a chance for us all to learn about the history of this country and the people who made it what it is today. It really gave us all hope in terms of the many fights we still have today and showed us that progress and change is still possible. It was emotional to see the names and faces of so many people who fought and died to help others and see just how much is left out of what we teach in schools. I think for all of us on the trip, the history became much more real in that moment, and a lot of emotions, be them sadness, anger, hope, popped up in a way that they wouldn’t have were we learning this in a class.

For the second part of the day, we drove to the University of Mississippi to meet with students involved in the Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation to learn about the history of University of Mississippi in the context of civil rights and about the current work they are doing. We were all really blown away by the dedication and work that the students are doing to try and heal Mississippi and bring the people together. Especially in our divisive times, many people have given up hope, but these students have so much drive and passion for what they do. At a university that is currently infamous in the nation for its history of discrimination, the students there seemed to be putting in more work to bring change than anyone I’ve encountered. Their work and the institute is a model of the kind of work schools around the country, and on our own campus as well, should be doing to bring change.

We were also able to have a discussion with Curtis Wilkie, a professor at the University and a former journalist who covered many stories during the Civil Rights era. One of the things we were so struck by is how he described the love so many people fights for Civil Rights felt, despite all that was happening. He described how much these people cared for their fellow human beings, and just the goodness of their cause. We were all moved by his own personal perspectives and his own outlook on the world. He really felt the pressures of the world we live in, and still feels a deep sense of urgency to help change to things for the better. We were also so grateful to be with him and were once again moved by just how recent and relevant all these issues still were.

The students themselves were so friendly, and changed many of our perspectives on what Mississippians are like. They were some of the best people many of us have met, and were so understanding of the biases we brought in and willing to help us learn. We immediately felt welcomed in their community and it felt as if we were hanging out with old friends on campus. It reminded me of our similarities and the need for us to embrace these in order to relate to each other and bring change. We all definitely made bonds we hope will last for a while.