tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14 2007-03-22T13:06:06Z Nineteen Bucknell students and staff traveled to Memphis, Tenn., on an alternative spring break trip to investigate the unfinished legacy of the civil rights movement. The group met with leaders of the movement, visited historical sites, participated in service-learning projects in Memphis, and earned University credit. Sponsored by the Office of Service-Learning, the group left March 10 and returned March 17. Movable Type 3.33 tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.257 2007-03-22T05:59:21Z 2007-03-22T13:06:06Z

Loretta Miller ]]> tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.256 2007-03-22T05:35:56Z 2007-03-22T13:05:30Z

Overall, my experience this year was absolutely, hands down, amazing! I would go to Memphis with this learning assignment every year....

Loretta Miller Overall, my experience this year was absolutely, hands down, amazing! I would go to Memphis with this learning assignment every year. Not only would I learn something new and beneficial, but I would have the opportunity to gain a new friend as well. As a student leader, I could have been a lot more passionate about the trip, but I don't think I was as passionate as some other students. I could really see that students and faculty were learning and growing in ways they never thought they would or could. We all thought ourselves enlightened at some point, but after hearing and seeing firsthand what went on down in the south at this time, many of us were astonished. Many of the events that occurred, and are arguably still occurring in Memphis, Nashville, Little Rock, and Oxford are not just apart of African-American history but American history. We need to know where we come from in order to see where to go. Let us not ignore our history, and the events that have occurred, but let us embrace them and work to better our society, together. tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.255 2007-03-22T04:11:33Z 2007-03-22T13:00:47Z

On Wednesday, we went to Oxford, Mississippi! (By the way, down south, they don't say Mississippi, they say Mis-Sippi. I just thought that would be a great short "geography" lesson.) Anyway, visiting Ole Miss University was yet another powerful experience....

Loretta Miller Mis-Sippi. I just thought that would be a great short "geography" lesson.) Anyway, visiting Ole Miss University was yet another powerful experience. ]]> Mis-Sippi (were you paying attention?). We enjoyed less then 10 minutes of the Delta Blues Museum! Yeah, we made it just at closing time. Unfortunately, we got lost. Again. I probably neglected to tell you earlier that other than learning about the Civil Rights movement, our trip's underlining theme this year was, "which way is the best way to get ... lost?" I promise you, every time we turned our SUV's ignition on, we were bound to get lost somehow. How unfortunate. Nonetheless, it was great bonding time in the vehicles. Also, later that evening we ate dinner at Morgan Freeman's restaurant - Ground Zero. It was an interesting place. I think that it was an excellent replica of a place where they played the Blues down in the delta - in the middle of nowhere.]]> tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.221 2007-03-14T05:33:20Z 2007-03-14T13:32:41Z

Well, what can I say about Monday? It required a lot of community service. We finally broke out into our sites and my group went to Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) - a huge organization dealing with people with real-life issues....

Loretta Miller Well, what can I say about Monday? It required a lot of community service. We finally broke out into our sites and my group went to Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) - a huge organization dealing with people with real-life issues. We participated in meals on wheels. We were able to see the good and the bad areas of Memphis. We were able to ride through extremely nice areas of Memphis into extremely poor areas of Memphis. In the poorer areas, we delivered food. tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.220 2007-03-14T05:28:00Z 2007-03-14T13:30:27Z

On Monday we began our community service projects. My service project was aimed toward SlaveHaven, which is now a museum. SlaveHaven was known as the Burkle Estate. It is believed that Burkle, who was a German, helped slaves escape to...

Lucy Mensah On Monday we began our community service projects. My service project was aimed toward SlaveHaven, which is now a museum. SlaveHaven was known as the Burkle Estate. It is believed that Burkle, who was a German, helped slaves escape to the north by hiding them in his house. Our job was to renovate the front porch and also re-paint the interior walls. My group was sooooo great and I had so much fun. I learned a lot about the history of slavery in the United States. One thing that I learned was the history regarding the slave ship called Amistad. Amistad was a ship that went from Senegal on route to Spain. While on the ship, the Senegal people rebelled against the slaveowners and killed all but two.They were brought to Connecticut and were arrested. After a long struggle, the States gave the Africans the right to travel back to Senegal. That was an amazing story. We spent the whole entire day rebuilding SlaveHaven. I painted the floors black, and to tell the truth, I DID A GREAT JOB!!! So did everyone else. Also, we did some gardening outside the estate as well. That was the first time I ever did any gardening. I dug up some soil and put some beautiful flowers in. It was a life-changing experience because now, I am a part of history by helping to renovate a historical building. On Tuesday, which is today (had to do some catch up) we finished our work. We stripped the walls and put some primer on, which was back-breaking ... lol. The women who run the museum were so happy and started to tear up as well. It was so cute. I knew that we had done something great for these women. Their eyes said it all. Today, we also went to help out at a soup kitchen at St. John's Methodist Church. It was similar to Bucknell's Community Harvest. tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.218 2007-03-14T05:00:34Z 2007-03-14T13:25:38Z

We arrived in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday and I've been having a great time ever since!!! The weather is just gorgeous and the people are so friendly down here. One of the highlights of the trip so far would be...

Lucy Mensah We arrived in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday and I've been having a great time ever since!!! The weather is just gorgeous and the people are so friendly down here. One of the highlights of the trip so far would be meeting MinnieJean Brown-Trickey, one of the members of the Little Rock Nine. The Little Rock Nine were nine black students who became the first to integrate an all white school, called Central High School. On Sunday, we traveled from Memphis, Tenn., to Little Rock , Ark., which took three hours. At Little Rock we were able to see The Central High School where history was made. There was a little museum that honored the Little Rock Nine near the high school as well, which was absolutely amazing. When we arrived at the high school, we noticed that there was an old lady being interviewed by two French journalists. Little did we know that this old lady was actually MinnieJean Brown-Trickey, one of The Little Rock Nine!!!! How crazy is that??? This was not planned at all and we all went absolutely crazy. We were able to talk with this wonderful women and hear her amazing story. One quote that she said that will always stay with me is that "Oppression breeds Resistance." I thought that statement was absolutely inspiring and also true. Although whites did not want her and the other eight students to integrate, they fought and resisted. When taking pictures with MinnieJean, she said that we said justice because it made the perfect smile, which I thought inspiring as well. She was not bitter at all but has tried to make a huge impact on the world and has became an activist against all types of opposition. She is definitely one of my role models. tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.219 2007-03-14T04:57:08Z 2007-03-14T13:21:20Z

Sunday's activities were amazing! We had some minor issues with being locked in Kingdom Camp! To defeat our problems, we decided to drive our SUV's over some hills ... as you can imagine, this was pretty intense. Nonetheless, we made...

Loretta Miller Sunday's activities were amazing! We had some minor issues with being locked in Kingdom Camp! To defeat our problems, we decided to drive our SUV's over some hills ... as you can imagine, this was pretty intense. Nonetheless, we made it to church (Temple of Deliverance Church of God). This was an absolutely great experience. You had to be there. But there was a lot of toe tappin' and hand slappin' going on, and the people were "high" in the spirit! After church, we ventured to Little Rock, Ark. The trip was approximately three hours, and when we arrived at our location, many of us were tired. We were drained of energy but once we heard the presentation given about the Little Rock nine, many of us were truly inspired! We even met MinnieJean Brown Trickey, who was one of the nine. She is widely known as the one girl who was expelled from Little Rock High School after she referred to some white students as "white trash." After facing tremendous racism day after day she finally caved in to her "feelings" (we're all human). Some girls threw a purse of combination locks at the back of MinnieJean's head and she could not help but to voice her feelings against them. Apparently, a teacher overheard Jean, and urged for Jean to be expelled. Jean was expelled. Nonetheless, this woman remained an activist and established an amazing history! Later on that day, we went to watch MinnieJean's documentary. Like I said earlier, and you should also hear from my other amazing blogger buddies, amazing story! Oh, I can't forget about dinner! We went to Flying Fish ... yay! Talk about some good seafood ... whew wee! Excellente! I definitely had some fried shrimp! Little Rock is in my book. tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.206 2007-03-12T00:59:08Z 2007-03-13T22:36:14Z

The day of... and I am just keeping it real! Right now, I am sitting at the airport freaking out because I didn't prepare myself well enough for these blog entries. This is the honest truth. Gigi and I are...

Loretta Miller The day of... and I am just keeping it real! Right now, I am sitting at the airport freaking out because I didn't prepare myself well enough for these blog entries. This is the honest truth. Gigi and I are singing Christmas carols, so now I feel a little better. For some information about me, well, what do you wanna know? This is my second year going on the Memphis trip. I am truly excited! The experience I gained from this venture last year was like none other. This year, my goal is to give back. I hope that this year's crew will be just excited as I was last year. I am mostly looking forward to seeing their reactions to most of the stories and sites we're bound to witness in the Deep South! Keep an eye out for the rest of my blogs. I am going to get it together! tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.198 2007-03-10T03:15:32Z 2007-03-13T22:35:19Z

From the seeds of kindness and compassion, happiness grows. My Spring Break plans will not include sleeping in, traveling to exotic locations or making money. Beginning tomorrow, I will be traveling with 18 wonderful new friends on a whirlwind...

Angela Remeika From the seeds of kindness and compassion, happiness grows. My Spring Break plans will not include sleeping in, traveling to exotic locations or making money. Beginning tomorrow, I will be traveling with 18 wonderful new friends on a whirlwind tour of the Deep South to create memories discovering the unfinished legacy of the civil rights movement in America. Because I believe so strongly in the transformative power of compassion and equality among members of this third rock from the sun, this trip will hopefully serve as a confirmation of the great achievements passionate individuals have accomplished in their trusting in the power of the human spirit to ultimately flourish in the name of justice and prosperity. ]]> So for my first Rights Write: Hello to all my readers, my name is Angela Remeika and I am a sophomore Neuroscience and religion major. The picture I have attached in this entry is from the Smithsonian Exhibit on American culture in Washington, D.C. It shows the actual seats from a sit-in counter in Alabama. In this blog, I hope you express to you the ups and downs, and ins and outs of this Civil Rights experience. I will attempt to include things that I have learned and found most interesting, in the hopes that you will too. :) Tomorrow morning, at 5:30 a.m., we will be meeting to depart for the Baltimore airport, to catch a flight to sunny and warm Nashvill,e Tennessee. For the first few days, we will be staying at Kingdom Camp, a camp-style (hopefully charming) abode. I am especially looking forward to our time at Beale Street. Last year during Spring Break, I traveled to Memphis for a political conference, and Beale Street was simply breathtakingly fun! Each person going on the trip will bring their unique lens of the world, which should be extraordinary to hear about. We will be setting aside discussion time each night in which the group will be able to share their experiences from the day. Sunday, oh Sunday. As a religion major, this coming Sunday will be especially great. We will be attending a Baptist church service at the Temple of Deliverance Church of God. The religious roots of the movement are something I would like to explore further during the week, and of course, my findings will be reported each night. Well, as I am exhausted, and am currently looking at about four hours of sleep, I will leave you for now, and come back with an awakened mind, and lots to report! tag:blogs.bucknell.edu,2007:/CivilRightsSpring07//14.196 2007-03-09T20:58:45Z 2007-03-12T16:28:00Z

Marian Wright Edelman, the president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund, once said, "Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it." I feel that education is way...

Lucy Mensah Marian Wright Edelman, the president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund, once said, "Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it." I feel that education is way more than making sure you go to class or studying for the big biology exam. Whatever you learn must be used to better the lives of the people around you. After this trip, I will definitely use the things I have learned to fight for civil rights today. When I return from this trip, I will be educated immensely, regarding people who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Right now, all I can tell you is that Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were two of the most important figures in the movement. However, there are sooooo many other important figures from the movement whose name is unknown. And THAT is why I'm on this trip. I want to learn everything I can about the movement so that I can become a better activist for civil rights. As an African-American, sometimes I take it for granted that I can go anywhere I want to get an education, I can sit anywhere I want on the bus, and I can drink from any water fountain I see. But there is a proverb that says that one generation plants the seed, and the other generation gets the shade. People from the movement went through so much persecution to get African-Americans to the place they are now.After this trip I feel like I will have a greater appreciation for the movement and realize how important it actually was. So what am I doing right now the day before we leave? PACKING!!! I packed sooo many things it is not funny. I'm just being a girl lol. But anyway, I still haven't finished and I still have to go to Wal-mart and get some stuff for the trip. But I love packing. Me and some of my friends who are going on the trip, Brittany and May, are planning to stay up the whole night. What's the point of going to bed when we have to wake up at like 5 in the morning? And we are just that excited anyway!!!