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.