Our goal was to drive into Montgomery and learn more about civil rights. There was a couple ways we could have driven, one faster than the other, but The Edmund Pettus Bridge is an image that will forever be in my head and having the opportunity to bring our kids to it and talk to them about the right to vote was a big opportunity that we couldn’t pass up. So we pulled into Selma and as the bridge drew nearer, though we intended to just drive over it, the van practically pulled itself into a parking spot and we knew we had to walk across it.
We were going to walk over it when we spotted the arrowhead symbol of the National Park Service on a building across the street. We walked in and were happy to see a place where we could show the kids the issues and injustices that were now represented by this bridge and path from Selma to Montgomery.
We then walked the bridge and talked about what would have been seen as the marchers crested the top. As cars blasted past us on the narrow, mostly unprotected sidewalk, I felt guilty for my sense of fear in comparison to what it would have been like to cross those days back in 1965. We walked back to the car and proceeded to drive the trail from Selma to Montgomery where we visited the Civil Rights Memorial Center. It wasn’t our first choice, but it was a great exhibit for the kids and us to experience to not only look back at the civil rights issues of the past but also at the present and future issues that are still unresolved.
What a wonderful experience for your young children! I wish more parents were teaching their children important life values as you and Jen are doing.