Monday, June 25, Tuskegee

Tuskegee itself

Liz Bohl:

The city of Tuskegee.  I have never been to the “deep south” and as we were driving around I became very aware of Tuskegee’s “run down” appearance.  There were bars on a lot of windows and doors of homes and businesses, many broken windows in various buildings, as well as many overgrown yards.  Plus once we got into the business areas, there were a lot of empty buildings – even entire strip malls.  I kept wondering why this was?  Is this a common thing in the south?

We had an opportunity to listen to Fred Gray this evening and at the end of his speech he made the point that racism is still a problem that needs to be faced and that economic disparity between blacks and whites is very much still an issue.  Even in class (back in Eau Claire), this was a point that was made numerous times.  We also learned that the population of Tuskegee is about 97% black – is this what Mr. Grey meant?  Our two tour guides from Tuskegee University also mentioned on numerous occasions how the university is working on some economic development projects to help rebuild their city.  The difference between the city and the university is very striking.  The university didn’t seem to quite fit.  I hope that the university can continue doing what it has been doing for the last 100 plus years – improving the lives of the students and citizens of the area.

Mary Devine-Giese:

Tuskegee Institute was beautiful.  There was work being done everywhere; old buildings being refurbished, lawns being immaculately maintained and the flower beds were flawless.  The campus was extensive and the architecture of the buildings was indicative of the constant growth of the institution over the past 120 years.  It was perfection. And then we left the campus.  We were met by abandoned buildings, garbage strewn roads, unkempt homes and very little activity on the streets.

When a chance came available at the airbase, I approached the Tuskegee administrator and spoke with him.  The most telling of his responses came from the question, “What type of relationship does the Institute have with the local community?”  His response was hesitant, “ Well, yea, that is something we need to work on.  It is one of those issues going to be addressed by that new study I told you about.”

Many times during the readings and the study tour references were made to the disconnect between upper/middle class African Americans and those struggling at the bottom of the social hierarchy.  I was shocked  and saddened to witness it. I had been hoping for a different response.

Nathan Jungmeyer:

I was absolutely shocked by the impact that one rather small town can have on African American history and the Civil Rights movement.  I believe that the words of the first black mayor of Tuskegee, Johnny Ford, are absolutely true.  Tuskegee is, without a doubt, "The pride of the swift growing South."

Ruth Lovejoy:

The Tuskegee Institute was a beautiful and unique campus. With humble beginnings concerned with the details of daily life and survival, it managed to develop into a sophisticated university with many special programs. The transition to the town was unexpected. I’ve seen many college towns before and this was not it. Sometimes in life stereotypes appear before you in near perfect form, and our experience with Johnny Ford (running for mayor for the umpteenth time) was one of those times. From the speaker on the campaign truck moving slowly around the square blaring slogans to the glad-handing, fast-talking Mr. Ford, the small town South came alive. Although, if it was in the fifties or sixties you wouldn’t expect the politician to be African-American. Maybe we have made progress; however, looking at the economic conditions, I’m afraid not.

Amy Lund:

Even if you paint them and put decorative pieces in the middle, they're still bars.

Breaking Bread and Building Bridges Dinner

Fred Gray

Jake Boll:

Fred Gray's great respect for Claudette Colvin.  As he was speaking about her I was formulating lesson plans of how I can incorporate her and help motivate my students to make a difference.  The fact that a 15 year old can take such a dangerous and amazing stand against an injustice that would lead to others following in her footsteps speaks volumes and Gray made her story a very strong point in his speech, showing that she was perhaps the most memorable case that he fought for, even more than Rosa Parks.

Julie Mecikalski:

I could not imagine why this prestigious man would want to take the time to come and listen to a bunch of teachers from the north.  I think he summed it up when he said to us to teach our students that we are all people.

Corey Nazer:

I found it most striking when Amy Lund asked what she should take back to her students and to her classroom: Fred Gray's answer was so simple: get to know one another.  In the whole Civil Rights Movement, through all the litigation, after all the significant conversations with iconic figures, the lessons he took from it were so basic -- so elementary.

Tate Haglund-Pagel:

The individual in history.  Seeing Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood home and even the room he was born in emphasized that even those people who do the greatest things start as children like anyone else.  Fred Gray’s speech reiterated this point.  First he explained that even before Rosa Parks there was a young woman -- Claudette Colvin -- who refused to give up her seat.  Her individual actions were a precursor to the brave decisions of other individuals like Parks, King and Gray that would change the world.

The Piano Player

Margaret Perri:

As we walked in to the Breaking Bread and Building Bridges Dinner with Fred Gray, the piano player was playing some nice music.  It seemed that no one was really taking notice of him.  I grew up playing the piano, taking lessons for many years, and then carrying on that talent because I was taught to take the time and make room in my life to learn and play an instrument.  After dinner, I approached the gentleman and asked him how long he had played.  He told me and then asked if I played, and then even offered to move over so that I could play for him!  I felt honored he’d ask, but obviously turned him down because I knew my “talent” was not near a level of his playing.  He mentioned how the photo placed in front of his keyboard (Mr. Teddy Wilson, a swing jazz pianist) was the first black man to play for jazzman, Benny Goodman.  According to the pianist’s story, he said that people were concerned that because Wilson joined Goodman’s band, it would ultimately tarnish his musical-playing career.  Obviously, it did not.