Day 10 - Memphis and The Lorraine Motel

June 22, 2011 

In Memphis, we were hosted by The Pilgrim House, a hostel in midtown Memphis that is operated by First Congregational Church.   First Congo, as it is called, had a rich history of social justice.  It was an  founded 140 years ago as an integrated church by people who believed that slavery was wrong and that women should be able to preach.  One of the interesting features of the hostel was that it was also the home of Revolutions Community Bike Shop - a non-profit bike shop that uses recycled parts to create bikes just like the reCYCLEry in carrborro, NC which provided our bikes for the tour.

After our stay at the hostel,  we connected with Dr. Charles McKinney, a friend of my parents and a professor of African American studies at Rhodes College in Memphis.   He talked to us about how the image of African Americans has changed throughout history, and how even after Reconstruction, there was still a battle to obtain equality. His lecture really gave us a unique perception of the black struggle, and allowed us to have a greater historical context later on that day when we visited the famous Lorraine Motel, now known as the National Civil Rights Museum.  For all of those whom are unaware, the Lorraine Motel was where the assasination of Dr. Martin Luther King took place - on the balcony of room 306.

The motel has now been converted into a national museum focused on the historical events of the Civil Rights movement, including the Sanitation Strikes of Memphis and the bus boycotts of Montgomery. Unfortunately, due to copyright laws, I was not allowed to take any photographs; however I can tell you that the museum was one of the most informative visits along this trip. It was incredible to see how many sacrifices had to he made by my parent's and grandparent's generations. The museum really opened my eyes to the brutalities that MY family had to go through so that I may go to an integrated school. Or even something as simple as talking to one of a different race in a candy store.

Thank you to all our conductors  who made this leg of the journey possible -- First Congregational and The Pilgrim House, Dr. Charles McKinney, Revolutions Bike Shop and The National Civil Rights Museum.  Your generosity and support will always be remembered.

Day 13 - Houston's Birthday at the Land between the Lakes , KY

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Today was Houston's birthday. He turned the big one seven (17). An age where young gamers can finally buy "M" rated games, and when teens can finally watch "R" rated movies without there ever-loving parents present to buy the tickets. For his birthday we camped out at the Land between the Lakes in Kentucky.  Also, as a special treat, Suependa (our tour mom),  bought pizza and ice cream for dinner.

But one of the most memorable moments of the day came when we met a local camper named Kirsten Herndon.  All of the guys met her on our way to the basketball courts. Born and raised in Kentucky, she gave us a tour of the campground and later invited Houston and the gang back to her RV for s'mores. With this being only the second time of the trip we had s'mores,  we kept burning the marshmallows; but it didn't really matter because we were too busy having fun telling Kirsten and her family about our trip, and cracking jokes on one another.   To me, this was the funnest night of the trip  -- meeting some really cool people and sharing our story over  s'mores and hotdogs.  We all loved hanging out at their campsite and when we finally had to leave, (which ended up being around midnight), we promised to keep in contact, which we still do. Needless to say,  the calm and chill night at the campsite with our new best friend from Kentucky,  Kirsten, was a birthday to remember.

Day 12 - Camping in Dover, TN

June 24  Cuba Landing, TN to Dover, TN (60 miles)

Tonight SNR camped out at the Piney campgrounds in Tennessee. Even though we had camped out before, this was the first time where we were surrounded by other teens and had the opportunity to swim and play basketball. This was also the first and only night where we started a campfire. Throughout this trip this was SNR's first"real" camping experience, and by real I mean hot dogs, s'mores and the whole 9. We explored the grounds for all their worth, ate more hotdogs, roasted more s'mores; hooped it up on the court, and ended the night with all of the boys sprinting into the lake. Shout out to Mahlique for being the first one to dive in. It was really one of those nights where we could unwind and enjoy ourselves.

However, our happy go lucky façade was broken when we were encountered by two little girls while exiting the lake.  For the first time on this tour, we were greeted by the same word by which many of our parents and grandparents have been subjected to: the "N" word.  These two little girls, born and raised in Tennessee, were not a day older than 8. In fact, the exact quote from one of them was "I'm seven and a half now, shut your f-ing mouth." 


This was one of those situations where we are reminded of why we are embarking on this journey -- not only to bike across the country, but to understand the hardships of the enslaved people running towards freedom. When we are used to certain types of people, such as the many privileged and open hearted and sometimes open minded people in my town Chapel Hill, NC, we often forget that not everyone feels, believes or even shares the same point of view. It is this reality and false sense of security which damages our ability to perceive the upbringings of others. 


In this case, I realized that the two little girls we encountered were not necessarily bad people. In a sense, they are no different from me. They are products of how they were raised. Their parents instilled racism into their bones just as mine have made sure that I am never judging others by their outward appearance or their personal beliefs. It is simply by the luck of the draw that I was on that side of the line. In conclusion this experience was an easy reminder that we cannot forget that there still are dangers on our route and that not everypne was raised by the same morals.

Day 7 - Pickensville, AL -- Way Stations on the Underground Railroad

Sunday, June 19th - Father's Day

On this morning we made our first "official" underground railroad stop: meaning that this was the first town with a strong historical connection to the Underground Railroad.   The local church was run by conductors, people whom gave escapees shelter.  The church had 10 hidden rooms where they hid slaves from the eyes of southern catchers.  

We also visited the Stagecoach Inn, which was founded sometime in the 1830's as a place for overnight passengers on the stagecoach line to stay overnight.  It originally had guestrooms and a tavern.  But, it was also a way station on the Underground Railroad.

SnR on the front steps of the Stagecoach Inn, a way station for the Underground Railaroad.

When we toured the town the mayor expressed how even though the town's population has decreased since it's conductor days, they are still striving to educate the population on the harsh conditions of the fleeing africans. In fact, both the mayor and commissioner are planning to open an underground railroad museum, thus creating the first underground railroad museum in all of Alabama. Crazy right? 

Inside the Stagecoach Inn

Stagecoach Inn

Its amazing that in 2011, southern states still haven't begun to set up landmarks and museums for the Underground Railroad. It just goes to show you how there is still a lot of work to do to give people a broader understanding of the journey that many enslaved persons had to take to obtain freedom.  We also need to remind ourselves of the courage that many Americans, who already had their freedom, demonstrated when they risked everything to make sure that other human beings were free.

Day 9 - Arriving in Memphis

June 21 -- Cookout at Aunt Lene's (Kevin's sister)

After days of Suepinda and Kevin stressing about good behavior, today we finally arrived at Aunt Lene's house in Memphis, TN (Kevin's sister). She was one of the most welcoming hosts of our journey.

She immediately invited us to kick back and relax on her couch while we watched "America's Got Talent." She even cooked us barbecue chicken, beans and hotdogs. It was really one of those times where you felt at home among people who truly care for your well being. The best part of the night was when a slew of family friends came to the house and the "Best of Michael Jackson" was popped into the cd player.

The house was full of laughing adults and little kids doing their best pelvic thrusts. Everyone enjoyed themselves and it was one of those old fashioned cookouts where all were invited to let go and relax.

Day 8 -- West Point to Fulton, Mississippi: Black Soldiers in the Civil War and Smithville, MS

Black Soldiers in the Civil War

Today SnR had its first history lesson on the use of Black troops in the Civil War. The group visited Brysons Crossroads, where Union and Confederate troops collided in a battle which ended in the retreat of the Union forces. 

 In the fray, the army commanded the U.S.  Colored troops to send  fire at the advancing Southerners in an effort to cover their retreat. Amazingly, in a mission that was only meant to provide human shield, the US Colored troops laid down some of  the most devastating fire in all of the Civil War, and successfully halted the Southern troops. This was just one example of how African- Americans began to earn respect for their actions and began to become recognized as equal.   I believe that we must all honor those who died fighting in this struggle.

 We also rode through Smithville, MS which was devastated during the historic tornadoes this spring.

Day 6 - Gainesville, AL to Aliceville, AL

I apologize for the long gap in the blogs.  I underestimated how full our days are -- early morning wakeup, long bike rides, historic site visits, packing up bikes, etc.  Now that I have gotten a little more accustomed to the schedule, I plan to play catch up.   So, here goes . . . 


Saturday, June 18 -- Gainseville, AL to Aliceville, AL

After we left Gainsville the group continued onward to a town called Aliceville, where we were scheduled to stay in a national guard armory. Unfortunately out guide never showed up to open the facility.  But once again, our lucky streak continued as a local pastor, Rev. Charley Wilson, both opened up his home as well as his wallet as he provided us a place to sleep and bought us dinner from a local restaurant.  His hospitality is greatly appreciated and I thank him for his support.

Days 2 through 5 -- Soaking In Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery

Its been a long couple days, as you can probably tell by my lack of blogging lately. So I'm going to give you a brief summary of the last 3 days.   After our stay with the Quaker family in northern Alabama we began to travel to certain historical landmarks in Montgomery and Birmingham.

I am soaking in the cultural significance of such sites as the 16th street baptist church, home of infamous church bombings of 1963, which claimed the lives of four young girls and sparked rebellious conflicts that's helped fuel the civil rights movement.

The capitol in Birmingham, AL.

In Montgomery, we visited the state capital, which overlooked the civil rights memorial with the inscription: "until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream" -MLK.  This quote symbolizes how the injustices of the world should be overrun by the natural flow of justice.  However, I could not help but witness the irony of our surroundings as I learned that the capital which overlooked the memorial, was built by slaves, the same people who escaped through the underground railroad.  (also, see video link below)

Edmond Pettus bridge; site of
Selma to Montgomery March

 I experienced the same ironic feeling yesterday when SnR visited Selma, the home of the 3 marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge; home of "Bloody Sunday."  For all of those who aren't familiar with the meaning of the marches, as I was not days ago,  the marches were non-violent protests against poll taxes and the other injustices that prevented African Americans from casting their ballots. Bloody Sunday was when the local police unleashed a variety of "crowd control " tactics against the protestors.  Many people lost their lives to the onslaught of tear gas, police brutality, and attack dogs. Yet as I walked through Selma, I could not help but notice how the current city seemingly failed the expectations that  the protestors had fought for.


We met wonderful and generous people in Selma. By no means am I trying to disparage the city. Yet at the same time certain aspects of the city stood out to me, such as the 50% drop out rate, or the fact that our hosts, who were lifelong residents, didn't feel safe traveling to a gas station alone at night. In fact, after Selma began to break the boundaries of racial injustice, the white population relocated. So far on this trip I have noticed how our present racial conditions seem to have come out differently then what our forefathers fought for. People have just begun to know how lucky they are to have the freedoms they enjoy today. At a certain point in time simply getting a drink of water could lead to a body hanging in the trees. And maybe I am overemphasizing the issue, but it's just one recurring theme that I've started to observe through this trip.

June 18, 10:31 pm

Video - Discussing Alabama Black Legislators during Reconstruction


http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h358/Spokenrev/UGRR%20Tour/?action=view&current=061411160340.mp4
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Day 1 -- From NC to ATL to AL and Sarah and Daryl's house

Our journey began at 7:45 in the morning, five hours after our scheduled departure.  Even though our trip deviated from its planned path, our travels still proceeded with success.  We reached Atlanta around 2:30 and received a warm welcome from the regional office of the National Park Service, whom we all thanked for all of their generous contributions and donations. (such as our transportation, and water packs).

Around 5:30, NC time, the SNR crew arrived at the house of Sarah Rose and Daryl Bergquist, two local Quakers who welcomed us into their home as well as introducing us to their simple yet effective way of life.  Also we had enough time to unwind and chill out in the local pond.  In general, the first day was full of many knocked out teenagers trying to shove their bags underneath the seats of a 15 passenger van, while still trying to maintain enough space to comfortably relax.

But even though most of our day was spent in a car, we still had the opportunity to become embraced by a community.  People whom we would have never had come in contact with if we had not embarked on this journey.  Much like the enslaved people escaping from the south, we were also able to put our trust in strangers and find guiding souls when help was needed.  For the first day I would say we are doing pretty well.

The Journey Begins

Finally!  After months of training, fundraising, presentations and more training, we're finally hitting the road!  Ev shaved my head, gave me a mad mohawk.   Had dinner at home with the fam.  And then at 1:30 am,  I headed over to Spoke N Revolutions HQ's to join the team for a few hours of sleep before loading up the van and the bike trailer and heading to Mobile, AL - where our bike adventure begins.  Along the way, we'll stop in ATL and visit The King Center - perfect inspiration for the journey that lies ahead.  Then, we'll continue to Blountsville, AL where will spend the night, and then head to Birmingham to visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.  Hope to get some more sleep in the van.