#740 heroes

One more observation from my visit to Montgomery: the amount of danger that people who advocated for civil rights faced.  Even today, 50 years later, the National Civil Rights Memorial Center has 24/7 armed security guards both inside and out, a metal detector, gates and controlled access because of the violence and threats that have been made toward the facility.

Those who participated in the Movement were often unsung heroes.  For every Rosa Parks that we know, there are hundreds of others who participated in the struggle and endured personal sacrifice.  Some of the most courageous were the college students who came from across the nation to be Freedom Riders.  Even though the initial group was met by violent mobs, others continued to volunteer to keep the cause alive.

In the Freedom Riders Museum, there is a display of current reflections from those who rode the buses or trains as a college student.  Peter Sterling writes: "Before I left, I called my father.  He had certainly seen those photos in the newspapers and on TV.  Years later I asked him if he had realized, in 1961, when I called to tell him I was going that we were replaying Abraham and Isaac where Abraham risked everything with his son for his commitment.  There was a moment of silence and then a choked 'yes'.  That was when I felt the story's full power -- a man must have values; he must teach them to his son -- but then he must live with their terrifying consequences."

A PBS documentary about the Freedom Riders asks: "Could you get on the bus?"  My answer would have been no.  I was not that brave.  Are you willing to pay the price for what you believe in? 

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
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