DBU REPORT 16 Anna Taylor, Senior One of the most meaningful places for me was the Mother Emanuel AME Church. We visited the site in Charleston and learned how involved members of the church were in the Civil Rights movement and how central the church was for Black Americans during the emancipation period. Black churches in general were outlawed at one point in South Carolina because they preached the message of freedom for all. The church bravely continued to preach the message of freedom, even when they had to go underground. This place was a testament to me of the boldness, bravery, and resilience of black communities in this country. The trip reminded me in so many ways that injustice is always worth speaking out against and justice is always worth fighting for. I believe God calls us to do this work, and I am inspired by those who have bravely answered that call in American history. Joey Razo, Graduate Student One of the most impactful sites for me on the trip was the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House. Here was the home of a Civil Rights leader who acted nearly 40 years before Martin Luther King, Jr., yet her name was not known to many in our group. Her work laid out the foundation and support that would be needed for effective change. The time we took to listen to her story, see the fruits of her labor, and understand her struggle was eye opening. She was an ordinary individual who made extraordinary choices, and her home was a lesson of the future and what can happen when we let our hearts be opened, our bodies be instruments, and our voices be heard. It is on each of us to make the conscious decision to be a part of change. People like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Modjeska Simkins were just ordinary people. They made the decision to stand up for their own rights and the rights of others, and it is also on us to make that same choice. Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston Dr. Tempress Asagba, DBU Dean of Students, speaks with students in front of Gantt Cottage, the location where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote his iconic “I Have a Dream.”
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