Making the Connections to Today
The Encampment went to Selma to visit the Voting Rights Museum, talk with Foot Soldier Joanne Bland and cross the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge. The Encampers found the museum compelling, particularly the experience of moving back in time.
Alexa: “It was so vivid— they had the water fountain [from the original bus station] and the jail cell. The jail cell! The jail cell freaked us out. We’re scared now but imagine the people back then being packed into the jail cell. I felt like I was going back in time.”
Ester added, “There’s a lot of historical artifacts and it is ‘show, don’t tell’ so it’s really an immersive experience.”
Joanne Bland shared her powerful story of participating as a young Foot Soldier in the Civil Rights Movement. At just 11 years old, she was excited to join the march, but the day quickly turned chaotic. Amidst the mayhem, she was knocked unconscious and woke up in her sister’s lap, both of them bleeding. Joanne initially thought her sister was crying, but she soon realized they were both injured — her sister required 35 stitches. Despite the trauma, Joanne’s sister encouraged her to continue participating in the movement, providing the support and courage she needed to face her fears and return to the struggle for justice.
The Encampers ended their day crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of Bloody Sunday and the subsequent marches that brought people from across the nation to march for voting rights. The Encampers learned about the sacrifices that were made by these courageous people and the power of collective action to make change. They were inspired to continue this vital work today.
The next day, they traveled to the Lowndes County Interpretive Center where they delved deeper into the struggle for voting rights, particularly the struggles faced by African Americans in Alabama. Through immersive exhibits and firsthand accounts, they discovered the pivotal role of activism and resilience in securing voting rights, inspiring them to carry forward the legacy of justice and advocacy in their own communities. Click for a short video of Encampers in the Interpretive Center.
Inspired by the museum and what she’s been learning at the Encampment, Ashley talked about how the movement laid the groundwork for her right to vote. Click to hear her words.
Antonio said, “After seeing this, I feel fortunate to have the right to vote, being a naturalized citizen…many people fought for this right, blood was shed. It was a rigorous and courageous battle for this right. I’m going to exercise my right in this upcoming election which is a scary one. Voting means power in a democracy. The exhibit that stood out the most for me is “Marching Toward Freedom.” Men and women, Black and White, from different places and with different beliefs united. They got past their differences and united to fight for this cause – I get goosebumps! It’s really beautiful!”
They also had the opportunity to eat at a local community gathering venue, Martha’s Place. The Encampers met Martha Hawkins and heard her inspiring story. Her journey is one of perseverance and passion, and she shared her mission of bringing people together through good food and hospitality. The Encampers left Martha’s Place with full stomachs and inspired by Martha’s dedication to making a positive impact in her community.
The curriculum continued with a visit from Reverend Dr. Bernard Lafayette who embodies the living history of so much of the Civil Rights Movement. He told stories from his experience in many of the key campaigns and organizations, both in the United States and internationally — and their participants both famous and not as well-known. He started his talk by saying that his life is devoted to “helping young people understand what Martin Luther King was trying to do and his goal and his purpose. What he lived for and what he died for.” He quoted Rev. King’s last words to him as Mr. Lafayette went to Washington DC from Memphis to head a press conference for the Poor People’s Campaign. He said, “the next thing we want to do is globalize and institutionalize non-violence.” He described teaching this to young people as his life’s work. He acknowledged his wife, Kate, as a being instrumental in that work.
Rev. Dr. Lafayette said that he was always concerned with “mobilizing people to bring about change. My focus was on organizing people. And, how do you do that? You have to first find out where people are coming from because if you don’t know where they are coming from, you don’t know where they are going. That’s why it’s important to study non-violence.”
The next day they visited the Legacy Museum, an immersive experience that delves into the history of racial injustice and the enduring legacy of slavery. This museum provided the Encampers with a deeper understanding of the systemic issues that have shaped our society that are still in force today in different forms, particularly the prison system. Here are some of the things Encampers and staff reported learning:
- “I didn’t think I could be shocked again but the cruelty and the inhumanity! In the midst of that, the joy and the strength and the courage that it must have taken. I remember the fear. When I was coming up, there was still the fear of lynching and that certain things could get you lynched. I had flashbacks to that fear but also to the joy and release that people got in church.”
- “Under current law children at the age of 12 can be subject to life sentences without parole.”
- “I learned how much weight the slave auctions put on families and how they got separated. In one story, a woman lost all her kids at an auction. In addition, slaves were forced to describe their value to a prospective buyer — to say why they should be bought into a life of abuse.”
- “We learned about lynching in school but it didn’t cover how random it could be — the smallest mistake could get you lynched. Lots of people would come to watch as entertainment and people would take parts of their bodies as souvenirs. I never knew that. It was heartbreaking; I sobbed.”
- “I had to look at my own internal biases regarding being tough on crime but I saw that the punishment did not match the crime and they are not rehabilitating people. Also, the separating of families reminds me of our current immigration system. This is still the reality for so many children being held behind bars. Mothers are still crying for their children and children are still crying for their mothers. It’s the same system disguised in a different form.”
- “Capitalism is the bottom line of all these systems that created a sense of White Supremacy. Some people get richer and they get to decide the maintenance of that system. This experience lends context to the concept of White Supremacy and the atrocities behind that. The tentacles are called different names but it’s the same system as slavery.”
- “I understand now how long many prisoners are waiting for a lawyer or any help at all. For instance, the story of a woman who was told to plead guilty by her lawyer and they would appeal later and then the lawyer disappeared so she is in limbo.”
- “I learned about the relatives of people who had been lynched. It’s hard to face the truth but it’s important. There’s power in facing the truth of what happened and is happening. To honor people who have been tortured and killed to keep a certain way of life going. It’s hard to fathom how one human could do that to another but I could feel the power in the honoring and laying bare of the truth.”
Community Life Director, Evelin Aquino, commented that “it’s not just theoretical or historical. The Black community in this country lives this every day. The darker the skin the more you are reminded of that experience. That is the reality, primarily for Black men, for Black women in the medical system, in the educational system. As the mother of a Black male, I have lived this every day since he was born.… For Black people, in the grocery store, in the library that target is still there. When you see Black people here or in your community, bring this into your perspective. When you go home, notice who is being tracked in school. Notice, when you are sitting in your honors classes, and there’s no kids of color. Who graduates and who gets in trouble? Who doesn’t? These systems are rooted in this history but remember to incorporate this new wisdom in your life, in your relationships and in your organizing.”
The focus turned specifically to voting again with staff from Alabama Values bringing their knowledge and resources to the Encampers. Executive Director Anneshia Hardy immediately drew the Encampers into her story about why she does the work she does. She reported that her mother would call out to her when she dropped her off at school: “Knowledge is Power!” She said that people who are underrepresented, under privileged and marginalized have more barriers to information. She learned the truth of that, starting when her fourth grade class talked about slavery: “The White kids were pointing and laughing [at the pictures in the book] and the Black kids were looking down, embarrassed. My mother had taught me that my history didn’t start with slavery. She said that they stole teachers, doctors, artists and enslaved them. So, I asked the teacher, ‘Who were the slaves before they got here?’ The teacher didn’t know what I mean so I explained.”
Ms. Hardy also said that who controls the narrative controls the power. They control how we perceive ourselves. Alabama Values intends to build ideological power — to help communities reimagine what unjust systems could and should look like. To hear more, click here. She shared concepts that are integral to good digital organizing and encouraged the Encampers to be media creatives with the power to shift narratives in their communities. She engaged the young people in an experiment about supplying context where they were able to see the difference that having someone define the image they are seeing makes a difference to what they experience and how that relates to racial stereotyping.
She shared the statistic that, prior to the 1998 Telecommunication Act, there were lots of diverse owners of media but now six organizations own 90% of the media. She also said that people are natural storytellers—a trait shared across time and cultures. She asked what they had learned so far. Encampers reported:
- we are limited by the small number of companies that own the media
- people will believe a good story over reasoning and logic
- and, it’s important to fact check and use your brain.
Ms. Hardy turned the presentation over to Zephyr Scalzetti, who began his organizing journey as a 2020 census worker. He explained that the census determines how much money comes into your community. He said that nobody was paying attention to the power there so “I started making tiktok videos about redistricting. Re-districting is a process used by governments to re-draw political boundaries. How it relates to voting is if your district is drawn in such a way that nobody on the ballot represents you then it doesn’t matter how many people you get to vote. What does this really mean? We’re talking about power: healthcare, schools, money for roads. Who is put into power over your daily life has a greater impact than the state or country—not that they don’t have huge impacts.” Clip— He shared one of their programs, Democracy Under Attack which is a livestream that connects people in different states with strategies for change.
He urged the Encampers to look up what their city council map is — to see who is representing them. This led into a detailed timeline and explanation of the case Allen v Milligan, a pivotal decision by the Supreme Court concerning redistricting, that upheld the Voting Rights Act.
In the afternoon, a historian, Dr. Howard Robinson, and an organizer Khynesha Brown, joined Ms. Hardy and Mr. Scalzetti for a “fireside chat”—an informal discussion about voting rights and organizing. Ms. Brown, whose work is to equip folks with information tools resources to vote, said that, “People tune you out unless it directly impacts them. We have to find ways to help people connect to the issue. You have to make it relatable to people where they are….You have to listen more than talk.” [Mr. Scalzetti, Dr. Robinson and Ms. Brown are shown next to Ms. Hardy in the picture on the right above.]
In answer to an Encamper question about how to counter apathy, Dr. Robinson referred back to tactics used in organizing in Montgomery in the ‘60s over time and focused on the need for persistence. He also emphasized that talking to the people who are closest to you about what you care about and sharing the information and concern at a local level – to your neighbors, police, council members is a way to start to create tangible impact that can move up to the state and national level.
Mr. Scalzetti said the most important thing in organizing is to care about the people. He also mentioned that voting is just one piece of the puzzle and echoed Dr. Robinson’s comments to get involved at the local level and keep advocating for the change you want to make.
Look for a documentary about voting rights created by Alabama Values coming out in the fall titled “The People’s Voice.”
The final visit was to The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. This poignant memorial honors the memory of those who lost their lives to racial lynching. The Encampers spent time reflecting on the gravity of this history and the importance of remembering and acknowledging these atrocities to ensure a more just and equitable future.
The InterGen Weekend is in full swing in Montgomery, Alabama. You can still get a link for the remaining Zoom sessions by emailing admin@encampmentforcitizenship.org. See schedule below.
Virtual InterGen
SATURDAY July 20:
Session 1 – 12:45*-3 PM, Central/11:45-2 MT/10:45-1 PT/ 1:45-4 ET: Foot Soldiers Presentation with Q&A and Reflections. *We are offering an optional segment 15 minutes before the programming starts to provide context for this segment. If you would like to skip this part, join 15 minutes later.
Session 2 – 6-8 PM Central/5-7 MT/ 4-6 PT/ 7-9 ET: Encamper Presentations, Acknowledgement of Local Supporters
SUNDAY, July 21, 9:45*-12 Central/ 8:45*-11 MT/ 7:45*-10 PT/ 10:45*-1 ET, Deanna Fowler and Khadidah Stone of Alabama Forward, will be joining alum Miles Rapoport, executive director of 100%Democracy for a discussion and Q&A about the Urgency of Voting. *We are offering an optional time to meet with a few Encampers and staff before this segment. If you would like to skip this part, join 15 minutes later.
Photo/video credit: Jamie Davis, Jamiesturntv@gmail.com
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