Medgar Evers House - June 26th

June 26, 2009
We woke up in the morning in Jackson, Mississippi. It’s so hard to wake up because we are always on the road! Today we got to meet Jerry Mitchell, he is an investigative reporter for the The Clarion-Ledger and he has put at least four Ku Klux Klan members in jail. When you think of a man like Jerry Mitchell you would think he is a straight edge, polite man. But, my ignorance had surpassed me. When he got up and spoke, he had a good posture, a big smile, and a very funny sense of humor! He spoke about the KKK members and how they were convicted. I thought it was amusing to know the most menacing men can be the prime moron. Jerry Mitchell spoke of their trials and how their alibis did not match. You would think if you are a mass murderer you would at least have an alibi!
We drove through Tougaloo College, and I was impressed with the beautiful campus. Although the College was gated I envied it afar. After driving through we went to Medgar Evers home outside of Jackson. His home was turned into a memorial where people can go through, browse and relive his death through imagination and text. When entering Medgar’s home I felt a bad presence because his blood stains were left on the driveway. It got me thinking of how evil human beings can be. I preach for peace as much as I can. Yet a question always lingers in my head. Would there be peace without evil? I know the question can never be answered and it’s so hard to believe. I don’t understand how a human being can kill another because of the color of their skin. I can’t imagine what goes on in their heads. They are not sane, and it scares me to know that it can be anyone.
Today was a good day. Yet everyday should always be better then the next. Today will always be significant in my life because I realized the struggles and hardships people had to go through for freedom. I wouldn’t have an education, and I wouldn’t have had equal rights. I would like to thank everyone in the past, present, and future for their hard work and success. Yes, I do believe in CHANGE!

-Ayeshah
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The story of Medgar Evers was certainly one of the most important and touching experiences I have had over the course of this trip. Going to his house was in many ways similar to going to Martin Luther King’s house because it had the same awe inspiring air about it. Even though Medgar Evers was not as influential as King was, I enjoyed Medgar Evers’ house as much as Dr. King’s or more. I think that this is because Martin Luther King has become an American symbol, similar to Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. Because of this I had trouble getting past the initial awe and really seeing the man beneath. Medgar Evers was a different story and I really connected with him. Unlike with Dr. King, whom I cannot really compare to myself, I could see Medgar Ever’s life playing before my eyes. This was an extrordiiinarily graet man who loved his country enough to fight for it at age 16 even though it was unfair to him and even loved it enough to try and make it better.

Medgar Evers’ father was a proud man as well. He refused to step to the side of the road for whites as was the custom and taught Medgar to stand up for himself. Medgar got a hunting license when he was a kid which was rare for African Americans and developed a love for the woods. He enlisted in the army when he was only 16 which is amazing considering that that is my age and most the people on this trip are even older. He experienced both more equality and extreme racism while serving. These experiences allowed him to become the leader he was.

When I got to Medgar’s house, there were a few details that especially touched me. One was the children’s mattresses which were on the floor. It was shocking to think how difficult it would be to raise a family under those conditions. Another was the fact that the family members had to get out of the passenger door so they could run to the house faster. The third was the dent in the refrigerator the bullet that killed him made and the fourth and most powerful was the blood stain on the concrete that has lasted for so many years. This blood cannot be washed away and it is a constant reminder of the inspirational life and tragic death of Medgar Evers.

-Connor