In 1987, Morris Dees was speaking to a classroom of children about the bravery of Beulah Mae Donald, a Mobile, Ala., woman who bankrupted the Klan after they murdered her son Michael Donald. When he referred to the martyrs of the Civil Rights Movement, he was surprised the students didn’t know the names.
The young people didn’t know Medgar Evers. They didn’t know Emmett Till either.
Morris was determined to make sure that the people who made tremendous sacrifices would not be forgotten.
Yesterday, on the 20th anniversary of the Civil Rights Memorial, I am reminded of the young people I’ve stood with around the Memorial. There have been thousands, but the experience feels almost sacred each time.
Maya Lin designed the memorial to invite closer examination of the names. Mamie Till Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, put her hand in the water when the Memorial was dedicated and I watch countless others do the same thing everyday.
Like a middle school student recently told me, “I felt privileged to be able to touch the soothing waters of the memorial. I felt something special.”
At Teaching Tolerance, we believe tolerance is exhibited when we accept one another, respect one another and courageously act to protect the right to live authentic lives. Where can we learn about tolerance? Look at the lives and the sacrifices of those named on the Civil Rights Memorial.
If you and your students have a chance to visit Montgomery, we would love to share the experience.
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