Social Stratification in the Deep South

This is the third day on our trip and it is our final day in Birmingham Alabama. We went to 16^th street Baptist church for a Sunday service so I was fortunate to go inside the church even though I didn’t get a chance to yesterday. The service was more like my church service at home but it took me a little while to get comfortable there. I think because I spent some time thinking about the history of the church and what took place in the church but if I were to live in Birmingham I would probably attend the church.

Today had to be an emotional personal experience for me. Today we went to 16^th street where the civil rights movement took place. We were on the grounds of racial discrimination and the standing as one in another race. While on 16^th street we were at the park that separated the blacks from the whites, 16^th street from 17^th street and it was a strong vibe and a burden that came over me when I was there. In the park there are statues that reflect some of the things that happened on 16^th street and they were touching. I called up my grandfather and he was explaining to me the things that happened that day and he also told me that it was great that I was here to learn and experience something of the things that people before me did to make my life comfortable today. I was hoping that I could get a chance to go into church where the bombing happened and it killed 4 little girls but it was closed. In addition we had several people to talk about their experience during the time of the civil rights movement.

Today was our entrance to the Deep South and I must say it took us a long journey to get here. We traveled from Winston-Salem North Carolina to Birmingham Alabama. It was a 15 hour bus ride I think and traffic in Atlanta was very bad. While on the bus we had class discussion and it turned out to be a great class discussion. We had a lot of time to bond on the bus with one another and a lot laughter and serious moments with one another between the 15 hour bus trip. When we made it to Birmingham Alabama, I must say that it was almost everything that I imagined it to be. It looks like a nice old country town with a little twist of a city flavor. It wasn’t until we got to diner where I was convinced that I was really in the Deep South.