Birmingham

Hi!  I am back!  I finally feel well enough to write and I have enough mobility in my shoulder that I can type with both hands. Who would have thought breaking one's shoulder could be so painful?  I am still pretty limited in what I can do. It is frustrating as I hate not having the freedom to come and go as I please or do a simple task like take a bath or dress. The good news is recovery is just a few weeks away. Can you believe Christmas is just two weeks away? Thankfully, my Christmas shopping is done and the Christmas cards go out in the mail tomorrow. Tomorrow, I am heading to a Christmas ornament exchange party.  I am looking forward to getting out of the house. I am starting to get cabin fever. Oh, I just remembered that the girls Christmas performance at German School is this weekend which means we need to practice their songs.

Ok, so this post has been two weeks in the making.  Birmingham just two hours west of Atlanta is an easy destination for a day trip or a weekend getaway. The city is seeing new growth and with that delicious restaurants are popping up on every corner. Try Hattie B's for their fried chicken!  Yummy!  Then head over to the Big Spoon Creamery for dessert. Wanting to teach the kids about Martin Luther King Jr. we visited spots around town that were important to the Civil Rights movement.  Birmingham is where Martin Luther wrote his famous letter while he was imprisoned in the local jail.  He wrote, " But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; […] when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; […] when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness"—then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair."

A word of warning, you won't walk away from Birmingham untouched by the sacrifice that the brave souls made as they fought for justice.  May we never return to a time when people are discriminated against based on their race or we can add to that differences, religion, and so forth. As I stated earlier, I broke my shoulder, so sadly we didn't get to see everything we had intended to see, but that just means we will have to go back.  Have a great weekend!



















Comments

William Kendall said…
Haunting is what comes to mind with the plaques and sculptures tied to the civil rights movement, and powerful too. One of the photobloggers I follow posts from Birmingham, so I'm used to the city.
junieper2 said…
At least you can type with two hands:) When you have so much to do, it must be hard to be patient!Hope you have some people to help you! Was such an example in the fight against hate, I have deep respect for him! Some people today need to be reminded how he dealt with violence and hatred. The statues tell all! Thank you so much Kelleyn for sharing this with All Seasons!
Angie said…
Well said. It is stirring that you took your kids and exposed them to this very important part of our history. On a lighter note, I wrote down the idea of an ornament exchange party - this is new to me and I really like the notion!
Margaret D said…
Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog - and I am sorry to read on yours that you broke your shoulder - pleased it will soon be healed :)
Jeanna said…
Birmingham seems like a place that might change you if you know even a little about its history. So sorry to hear about your shoulder, I hope you have a speedy recovery. It has to really suck this time of year. Fast healing to you.
DUTA said…
I went through the same painful experience with my shoulder as you. It took some 5 months till I felt completely healed. Thank God, there's no sign left from the injury. All that's needed is Patience.
shayndel said…
Sorry to hear about your shoulder and glad that it is getting better each day. Hope it will be completely recovered soon!
eileeninmd said…
Hello,
I like the shot of your children in front of the Birmingham mural. The sculptures are scary looking. It seems we must always fight for civil rights.
I hope your shoulder is healing and you are back to normal soon. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Thanks for linking up and sharing your post.
Have a happy day and great week ahead.
Gosh, I get behind in reading blogs and you go and break your shoulder while I’m gone, oh no. Glad it’s getting better. We did not go to Birmingham in our RVing days, but did go to Selma and shared the same feelings and much history ....such sad and terrible reminders but we were glad we had the chance to visit and stand in the footsteps of the brave people who marched.
We are hoping to take another road trip in early 2019 and see more of the U.S. and some of the southern states. Alabama is one of the states we hope to visit. There is much history there, sadly some not showing the best side of the USA. Glad to read that your shoulder is healing and hope your Christmas is wonderful.

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