Alabama and Huckleberry Finn

We decided to leave Jackson before hurricane Issac showed up. So we headed out of town on Tuesday morning. Issac was supposed to hit the coast of Louisiana on Tuesday afternoon, in time for the anniversary of hurricane Katrina the following day. We were headed to Atlanta. Jed told us that there were some interesting Civil Rights Sites in Birmingham, AL. It really is amazing to see the actual locations of so much important recent history. I have heard of all of these parts of the south, but never seen them in person. After being treated to such a great civil rights tour in Jackson we thought it would be a great idea to show the kids the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham which was on our way to Georgia.

On the way through the rest of Mississippi and into Alabama we listened to the unabridged Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Earlier that day the boys had Elijah look up the lyrics to Bob Dylan's song "Hurricane" about the unjust imprisonment of Rubin Carter. The song brought up the question of the use of the N word to describe a black man. The boys are very confused about the word because it is not something they have any context for. Later that day while listening to Mark Twain's novel, the same N word showed up over and over again. Mississippi is a strange place for the boys to suddenly be learning the history of racism and its somewhat ironic that it is within the lyrics and literature of progressive voices that we were required to discuss derogatory labels.

The traffic stalled somewhere in the middle of Alabama. An oil tanker truck had rolled over an embankment. Luckily it did not explode. Traffic was backed up for miles. At first I thought it might be people fleeing the hurricane. We had ample opportunity to listen to Huckleberry, but by the time we got to Birmingham the Institute was closing. I took a few pictures of some of the sites around the area, and we moved on our way towards Atlanta, GA and away from the hurricane headed up from Louisiana into Mississippi, following our path.

Eli asked me if Huck and Jim ever get off Jackson Island, guess we have a lot more driving to do before the full impact of the stories message matches the message of the statues in Kelly Ingram Park.

The 16th Street Baptist Church Where Four Little Girls Were Killed In A Bombing in 1963

One of the Many Instructional Displays in Kelly Ingram Park

Kelly Ingram Park Was Dedicated As a "Place of Revolution and Reconciliation" and Has Many Amazing Sculptures

One of the Many Sculptures in the Park in Honor of the Children Who Protested In Birmingham

The Children Were Attacked By Police and Dogs

There Is a Great Statue of Martin Luther King Jr.

Part of the Inscription On the Pedestal