Converge Media journeys back to the South: Montgomery
Converge Media is back in the South on a #PartneredPilgrimage with Seattle’s Choose 180 and Sankofa Impact. We are documenting the trip as a group of nearly 30 individuals from The Emerald City experience history and culture in New Orleans, The Mississippi Delta, Memphis, Selma, Montgomery, and Atlanta along the way, the group will meet with and learn from Civil Rights foot soldiers and activists working in their communities today.
We will be documenting our film crew’s experiences in each city as we go. Stay tuned for updates on the film.
#SankofaImpact #ichoose180 #BlackHistory #SharedHistory #Seattle #freedom #BlackLivesMatter #BlackHistoryMatters #collectiveliberation #BlackMediaMatters #WWConvergeDay 2 #ConvergeOnTheRoad
Tuskegee University
The day started at Tuskegee University, where the Converge team visited Isis Salisbury, Omari’s niece. We filmed a segment for her graduate school project. Salisbury has worked with horses nearly her entire life, and it was inspiring to watch her in her element.
We then journeyed to the main campus of Tuskegee University, stopping at the Booker T. Washington statue in the middle of campus. We also saw the airfield which was the home of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Downtown Montgomery
Our next stop was in Downtown Montgomery, where members of the Sankofa and Choose 180 groups were lead on a walking tour by Sean Goode. They visited the riverfront as well as the middle of town, learning about the locations at which enslaved individuals were brought to the city.
In the center of town, we also saw the Rosa Parks statue as well as the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. served as the pastor.
The EJI Legacy Museum
The group also visited EJI’s Legacy Museum, which highlights the history of enslavement and incarceration of Black individuals in America. This powerful museum serves as an education and reminder that the fight for freedom is still ongoing. Although no photos are allowed inside, it was clear that the experience was moving for those who entered.
Across the street from the museum is the Legacy Plaza, which provides a space for people to process and decompress following their museum experience.
Civil Rights Foot Soldiers Panel
For lunch, the group dined with four living legends of the Civil Rights movement. Valda Harris, Georgette Norman, Grace Jackson and Bob Zellner spoke to the group about their experiences during the movement and what it was like working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, John Lewis and many others to push forward. It was an experience which brought the places and history experienced on this trip to life, giving voices and faces to the markers and buildings we’ve featured along the way.
