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John Lewis

David Garrow

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Martin Luther King Center

March 2
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Itinerary

Aknowledgements

Afterwords

Today, the group visited the Martin Luther King Center, the location of Dr. Martin Luther King's grave. We also visted with U.S. Representative John Lewis, a former SNCC activist and author Connie Curry, and Pulitizer-Prize winning historian David Garrow.

Atlanta, Georgia


At King's gravesite at the King Center.


Stephanie enjoys a quiet moment.


The group speaks with Connie Curry.

Excerpt of Sara Stewart's journal about Connie Curry:
. . . . Busy with people, not places, today. Starting out we met Connie Curry, a white woman who worked with the SCLC and saw firsthand the sexism within the movement. I really enjoyed hearing her speak-it was the first woman that I connected with, but I don't think it had to do with the fact that she was white. It just happened that I didn't connect to Joanne Bland, the only other woman we spoke to. Anyway, I think that her approach to things was admirable. She is still out there as a white person who is dedicated to the movement. She has written several books, one of which I bought because it travels with a family that didn't have much but challenged the system the whole time. It is a story of perseverance in so many of stories of just that, but it is written by someone who knows the tale without research. . . .

We thought it was ironic that the office of former SNCC activist, Freedom Rider U.S. Representative John Lewis was in the Equitable Building.


The group speaks with Mr. Lewis.


Amine and Mr. Lewis discuss the history of the Movement.


A group shot with Representative Lewis.

An excerpt from Steph Fitzwater's Journal about John Lewis:
. . . I was very impressed by John Lewis' demeanour. While talking, listening, or answering, he had wonderful body language, shifting to face whomever was speaking/etc. He gently touched Amine's leg at one point or would lean in towards each of us. He made magnificent eye contact as well. He was not the most charismatic or poetic person, but he communicated. Let me just say, I love John Lewis. . . .

We speak with historian David Garrow.


Joe and Mr. Garrow in his office at Emory University



An excerpt of Rachel Fisher's journal about our stay in Atlanta:
. . . Um, well, we also had this amazing dinner tonight. The place was really expensive and I think Sarah Alloy felt bad about it, but I really appreciated it. I hope she knows that it worked out well. It was a really great dinner. I loved the corner I sat in with Sarah L, Rosalva, Joe, and Teresa. I think that's all who was there. Although we mingled, I really liked talking to them and getting to know little things about them. The words spoken at the end of the dinner were cheesy and emotional, but I enjoyed them just the same. I wish I could have cried like Fatima did, but I just don't get that emotional. I was touched though. Despite the occasional drama, both the trip and the last dinner turned out really well. Amine was so touching and funny, I'm really glad he spoke up. Sigh. It's almost over. I just can't believe it. What a great week. . . .

An Excerpt of Amine Tourki's journal from today:

. . . This morning, I am so tired, that I do not want to walk anymore. We had to go back and forth a couple of times before finally deciding on visiting King's grave. I wonder why is he buried above earth? What is with this people, and glamorizing the graves of their dead? I liked the cups on the souvenir shop but I already have mugs at home, which I hardly use.
My timing at times turns out to be almost perfect. While walking out of the room that the security quartered us in, I saw Connie Curry, who just arrived talking to Joe. I winked at her and she smiled. We exchanged informal greetings before even getting to the elevator.
Her talk was interesting, but she did not specify anything about women being marginalized in the movement. I liked how she told the police officer that she works for the department of state, so he will be scared and not harm her. You get the sense that the whole country was at war. An icy war fought in silence. I wonder who are the knights of that war today, because Connie Curry seems to be like an warrior incapable of even starting a public relations campaign to free her friend the Imam who she says she believes whole heartedly in his innocence, and she can see the whole in the prosecutor's argument.
John Lewis is an old man too; he has already given up the fight for the comfort of congress. [And, he did it with mutilating the character of his friend and fellow warrior.] Well, I guess with old age comes weakness and the search for comfort. He gave me some double talk from Washington, but then he was frank at other times. I liked how he was at ease, when I asked him about Jimmy Webbs comment about the elites leading the movements. I was going to iron his answers, and chop them to little bites that I can digest but then Joe started kicking me or something like that. So I passed the mike down to my dear colleagues so they can have the chance to ask the questions of admirers. I do admire him, but I want honest answers. Well, he
at least was so kind to say that economic development in the black neighborhoods is necessary? I hope to see him again, in private. Then I would get the real juice. Oh! I will probably see him next year at U of M.
… While we were in the car, she talked to me about my questions. She did not realize that John Lewis was not really as poor as he might seem first hand. "I was the son of sharecroppers, but by the time I got to college my father saved and we bought a land." I reminded her that his father was fortunate enough, to buy a 300 acres lot, which is not a small piece of land. He was a part of the Black elites as well. She became a bit happy, when we found Emory, at which point I raced to Garrow's lecture.
David Garrow, the most interesting and forward talking speaker today. He said that many of the KKK members have sexual affinities for either black men or black women. I was shocked that people who show such toughness are in reality gay. I think that they are even supposedly anti-gay. What a wonderful world it is out there. Nothing is what it seems.
The interesting thing was that he claimed to know deep throat. The girls got off on that. Jenny was laughing the whole time about that. He seemed to transcend power, and I liked that.