Washington D.C. : Day 2
The 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Civil Rights Bill
Today was the day of the Once in a Lifetime ride! This is every history fan's dream; to learn more about history while creating history. After getting my credentials, I joined my fellow honorary student freedom riders in the auditorium of the Department of Education where we all shared our excitement for what lied ahead. We were interview for television segments as well as newspapers and websites. As the celebration started, we were welcomed by Mr. Massie Ritsch, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach in the DoE , as well as hearing a student address a Proclamation from President Barack Obama. There were singers, as well as presentations of art works and poetry all dedicated to this event. When we were getting ready to leave, some of the performers lead us out of the auditorium singing a song that was sang during the freedom rides. What gave me goose bumps was when the six Freedom Riders that were joining us on our adventures to Virginia's Capitol started to join in on the song. That really gave everyone in that auditorium the most humbling feeling. I knew from that point on that today was going to be a remarkable day.
Following the Freedom Riders out to the buses, we were approached by more media crews which followed us on to the buses for the ride to Richmond, Virginia. I was able to catch a seat on the bus that Mr. Hank Thomas and Mr. John Moody were both riding. My favorite memory of that bus ride was when Mr. Thomas boarded the bus and said, " I will not be riding in the back of the bus, you hear?" On our way down to Richmond, the stories of the Freedom Rides began. Mr. Thomas went first, sharing his story about his ride and how he was arrest twenty two times and how he and Mr. Person were both on the same bus that made it to Louisiana. Hearing about how the bus was flour bombed, set on fire and people getting beaten was all interesting because textbooks and documentaries never went in to mush detail or did not go into the subject at all; but the most memorable story was when Mr. Thomas told us about the first time he was scared. He said, "As a nineteen year old, I had to choose how I would die. I could either stay on the bus and die from the smoke and fire, or I could die by escaping the burning bus and be beaten by the protesters outside. But, this did not scare me. What scared me was during one of the times I was arrested, a police man drove me out into a field and dropped me off with some klan members where they greeted me with baseball bats and such. That is when fear came into the picture; when I was running as fast as I could away, I was scared for the first time." His words and emotions will never leave my head.
Next was Mr. Moody. He educated us on how we should make a difference in society today. He agreed that society has mad a progress since the signing if the civil rights bill, but there is still much more to do. Both he and Mr. Thomas agreed that what needs to be done in today's society is to provide a better education. With me being an advocate for education, especially during high school, I was right on board with this.
By the time we were done discussing the topic of education, we've arrived in Richmond where we were welcomed by Governor Terry McAuliffe, Senator Mark Warner, and State Senator Henry Marsh. We were lead to the Old House Chambers of the State Capitol Building in which, fun fact, in that very room, Virginia stated that they would secede from the union in 1861. Cool isn't it? In that very room, we sat and listened to the Governor, the Senator, and the State Senator give their speeches to the Freedom Riders as a form of thanks for all that they have done. While the Governor was leaving, I had the opportunity to meet him for a brief moment. What surprised me was when he noticed my Duquesne University Pin that I received at my Matriculation Ceremony this past year that I was wearing and he made it out of his way to say, " Oh Duquesne University, very good school," and continued on his way out of the chamber. This made me so proud to be a Duke.
While leaving the State Capitol, we stopped and took a picture by the Civil Rights Memorial that was to commemorate the passing of the bill. Here as a group, we thanked all the Freedom Riders for what they have done for this country and for the advancements of equality and it was honorable just to be in their presence, let alone get a hug from each of them in the 98 degree weather.
All of us students arrived back to Washington D.C. super exhausted, but would would not trade this experience for the world. Going into the Department of Education once last time to escape the heat, we were given the final words of the day by the faculty that joined us on our adventure. Even if this once in a lifetime experience was not enough, the DoE surprised us with commemorative posters that were created especially for us and only us.
I would just like to thank Duquesne University for the opportunity to apply for this event and the Department of Education, especially Mr. Ollie Cantos, for treating me like I was at home and for giving me this chance of a lifetime. I cannot wait to write down all of my experiences in to a lesson plan for my students in the future so that they too can learn as much as I did from this once in a lifetime ride.