It stopped me in my tracks. On Sunday, we visited the Peace and Justice Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. It pays tribute to the 4,000 plus Black people who were lynched in America during a campaign of racial violence that has changed over time, but never really ended. Above your head as you walk through the memorial, large steel beams are suspended, engraved with the names … Continue reading Justice
My heart is heavy. It’s the news. It’s the trial in our home town for the death of George Floyd. It’s Daunte Wright. It’s Atlanta. Kenosha. Indianapolis. It’s gathering stories under the shadow of a Confederate statue. It’s visiting lynching sites. But it’s more than that. It’s how quickly each event is spun and re-spun, then spun again. It’s how animosity instantly takes root in … Continue reading Grief
We passed through Birmingham, Alabama on our drive toward home. It was just a quick overnight while traveling, but we’ll return later in the spring for a longer stay and to explore more of the history of the town. It was a cool evening in the trailer, and we were confident our battery wouldn’t last through the night, but before retiring under a stack of … Continue reading Birmingham
Joanne Bland was 11 years old when she marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Heading from Selma toward Montgomery, the activists were committed to securing voting rights for all Americans, but on March 7, 1965, they were violently attacked by law enforcement officers. It became known as Bloody Sunday. I interviewed Joanne at her home in Selma in August 2015, just 12 days … Continue reading Joanne Bland
There is a typo on a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama. It’s in front of Brown Chapel, where the famed march from Selma to Montgomery began in support of voting rights. I was there a couple years ago to interview Joanne Bland who was on that march with Dr. King when she was 11 years old. The statue says, “I … Continue reading What is your dream?
Donna Watts is president and CEO of the South Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce in Foley, Alabama. She has worked in business development for 30 years and takes great pride in helping people pursue the American Dream. Donna says the triple punch of hurricanes, recession, and the BP oil spill brought people in the region to their knees. She says there is a sense of community that … Continue reading Donna Watts
