Dean of Students

Today, Thursday, March 23^rd, we finally had one of the sunniest days during our wondrous trip in Birmingham, Alabama. It was finally refreshing to be greeted by the sun after a long and treacherous winter in Minnesota. As I woke up in the morning, I realized today was going to be an emotionally exhausting day like many on this trip. With this, allow me to take you on a journey through The Magic City.

As is usual, I was running late and had to quickly run down and get breakfast. The ride from our hotel to our first historical stop was breathtaking. The scenery was green and beautiful, with the sun creating shadows on trees and grass as we swiftly passed by. The bus abruptly stopped in front of a historical and well-known church of the Civil Rights Movement: the 16^th Street Baptist Church. Here, we were going to learn about four little girls who died in a bombing inside the Church due to a group of white men’s deep rooted hate towards African-Americans.

Today was an emotionally heavy day as we centered our attention to the city of Birmingham, Alabama: the center of many important civil rights moments and the heart of vicious segregation back in the 1960s, so much so that it was nicknamed “Bombingham.” I close my eyes; it is difficult and eerie to think of how different the social landscape around us would have been not too long ago. The aged red brick buildings, calm green parks, and empty concrete streets rendered in full color (compared to the black and white images/video we have of the past), conjure a lot of dissonance and deep reflection.