As a distinct non-Southerner, this class has been illuminating to me on many levels, allowing me to explore and engage in the cultural and historical traditions associated with the South. What particularly piques my interest is the Civil Rights Movement, especially the prominent figures within the movement who had the vision and drives to make a change.

Richard Wright’s 12 Million Black Voices inspired me to explore this further. In the novel, he chronicles the plight of the African-American race as a whole and provides an understanding into their psyche so that a third-party observer (such as myself) can realize the underlying elements of the resistance leading up to the Civil Rights Movement. Wright is careful to say that he assumes that the African-American populace is, in general, too heavily entangled within their own misery to break free of the oppression that they face. At the same time, he does acknowledge the few legendary figures who dare to rise against the discrimination and raise awareness about the injustice they face by attacking the collective conscious of the “masses”, as he puts it. He uses the photographs taken by the FSA to bring to the forefront the “plight of the humble folk who swim in the depths”. At the same time, Wright presents, to the audience, the story of the migration of the African-Americans from the South to the North and the challenges they face there as well. The basic culture and traditions of the African-American race changed drastically in response to these forced adaptations. Theirs is a story of continuous oppression and subjugation because of an inherent fear of speaking up for themselves set into their natures by generations upon generations of slavery.

It is my goal, through this journey, to discover more about the people who made change possible and to continue searching for artifacts or pictures – something tangible – that can help me connect with the people who went through so much suffering. My road trip starts at Austin. From here, I will go to Jackson, Mississippi where I will visit the school that Wright attended before dropping out and exploring other things the city has to offer. From Jackson, I will make my way to Montgomery, Alabama where I will immerse myself in everything to do with Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks. From Montgomery, I will go to Atlanta where I will research some more about MLK and observe an exhibition that discusses the success of the African-Americans in a world of Jim Crow laws. Finally, from Atlanta, I will go to Cleveland for the sole purpose of staying at a plantation that also has a bed and breakfast. I can think of no better way to bring my journey to an end than experience the setting (however tame it may be in comparison) that was the main cause of suffering for the African-Americans.

During my stay in each city, I intend to gain further insight into the social injustice of society and interview/talk to people on the streets, or officials at the museums, and ask them questions like:

1)   Do you think we live in a time of complete freedom and equality?

2)   Do you think we ever will?

I hope to be able to explore the Civil Rights Movement and the way it affected and shaped the collective conscious and the culture of the African-Americans. It is my hope that by exploring museums dedicated to highlighting and celebrating the resistance that led to freedom, I will be able to gain a clearer understanding and appreciation for the drastic changes that an entire race underwent in order to acclimatize to an unfavorable situation.

My trip will cover a span of 6 days. It will start on May 11^th and end on May 17^th. For the driving purposes, I will have my best friend with me. My basic goal, in completing this journey, is to be able to learn not only about the aesthetic appeal of the South, in general, but also to immerse myself in the rich culture, heritage, and history of the South as it was shaped by the Civil Rights Movement.