Inspiring Talk by Ms. Heidi and the Shore Sisters

This is my first trip to the Deep South and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I really didn’t have any preconception of what Birmingham would look like and had only a vague notion of the major turmoil that took place here. It was helpful to see the film and hear students’ reports on Friday as it set up some context for me.

As I am sure is the case with many others, our meeting with Ms. Heidi, Judge Helen Shores Lees and Barbara Shore was the highlight of my day. It’s one thing to read about the bombings and racial divides in an abstract way. Hearing about it on a personal level from people who lived through it was powerful.

I haven’t had much experience hearing people admit to their prejudices in a public forum. If they’ve worked through it, I assumed they did so quietly, as it’s nothing to brag about. I admire Ms. Heidi’s willingness to lay it out there for us. It really helped me to understand the issues better.

Mrs. B’s served up another great southern eating experience (once I got past the fly strips hanging over the serving area). But don’t try the bean pie, it was nasty. DreamLand’s banana pudding more than made up for it though, it was some of the best I ever ate!

DreamLand BBQ

As we travel over the next few weeks, friends and family will be able to see where we are going or have been. This Google Map will pinpoint our progress:

South Trip Begins at WFU

Click on the map icons to see further information and/or images that we take along the way. You can use the navigation on the upper left corner to zoom in and out. You can click to move the map left/right/up/down.