The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, AL

PART 1 of a three site visit

Yesterday was my first visit to The Legacy Museum (one of the three Legacy Sites of EJI-- Equal Justice Initiative) in Montgomery, AL. It's a place I had heard of, but hadn't had the opportunity to go. Because of the Whitfield Remembrance Project, I was able to join in on their bus trip yesterday. It was a long, yet powerful and meaningful day.

I don't know if I can process everything I saw and experienced. And, I didn't experience it all. There were short movies that I didn't stop to watch inside theatre rooms. I watched clips of some movies in the main room along the way. There were more interactive people to listen to throughout the museum. I did listen to a few. There were MANY things to read. I read some here and there. I tried to soak in all I could. It is information I want and need to learn. I don't remember learning about lynchings in school or the "poll test" that war required of people to pass in order to vote. There were sample poll tests.

Here is a link to a real poll test from the state of Alabama from 1965. They were also called "literacy tests". It is eight pages long. Honestly, if I had had to ta take suck a test in order to vote when I turned 18 years old, I don't think I could have passed it. I don't think I could pass it now without studying. That, my friends, is called white privilege. And that hurts my heart. 

Another thing that stood out to me in The Legacy Museum was going through the waters. The floor path led you through what felt like the bottom of the sea. On both sides were heads and bodies of the men, women, and children who died in the transatlantic slave trade. Nearly 2,000,000 (that's 2 million) lives were lost during the ocean crossing. That's horrific. Sadly, that's only part of the horrors of the story. From the beginning of being taken to those that made it across the ocean, horrific truth after truth is available for us to learn. And learn we must. 

We weren't able to take pictures at The Legacy Museum. But we did take a group photo outside, with the jar of soil that we brought to go into the museum.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page to "Soil Collections" for information about the jars of soil.

Here is a link to see the wall of the jars of soil at The Legacy Museum. It is a photo that can be ordered as a print.

I will write more about the soil we took to the museum and the other two sites we visited. We were able to take a few pictures at the 2nd site and lots at the first site. 

Meanwhile, you can read the links I've posted to learn about all three sites. If you read the Whitfield Remembrance Project link I posted, you can read about the soil that was taken.

When I get the group photo from the museum, I will post it.

Here is the one photo I have from The Legacy Museum:

My cousin Michelle and her husband David flew in from Colorado to go on this trip with me. It was a special day to spend with them.

There was a gift shop/bookstore at the museum. I didn't buy any books or t-shirts. SURPRISE! I know. There was a t-shirt that had a perfect quote on it, but it was mustard yellow and that color does not look good on me. I wish I had taken a photo of it or even written the quote down because I don't remember the exact quote. It had to do with hope. I don't think this is the quote, but it is a quote on hope:

“The kind of hope that creates a willingness to position oneself in a hopeless place and be a witness, that allows one to believe in a better future, even in the face of abusive power. That kind of hope makes one strong.”
― Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy

Though I didn't buy a book or a t-shirt, I did, however, buy a magnet with a different quote that resonated with me: 

"The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned." ~Bryan Stevenson 

There is much more to say, to process, to remember. I will make some time to do just that.

Meanwhile, I hope you might join me on my journey to learn, to seek truth, to do better.

A favorite verse of mine, Micah 6:8, puts it this way (abbreviated version):

do justice, love mercy, walk humbly

I have a t-shirt with that quote on it from The Happy Givers. I wore it to a special event in September. I will share that in a later post.

Peace, 

Deb