Welcome to the 2011 One America trip! This year we travel from Little Rock, Arkansas to Clarksdale, Mississippi, up to Memphis, Tennessee and then end our adventure in Nashville. We depart on Monday, January 3rd at 8:00 AM sharp for Bradley International Airport and return the evening of Monday, January 10th at 10:30 PM. Traveling with us again is our intrepid faculty leader, Prof. Bob Surbrug. Our peer leader this year is third-time One America traveler, Molly Dower, and joining us for the first time is my husband, Jack, who will have a camera in hand throughout and will lead us in occasional songfests.

Hope you'll follow along!

Rhyshia and Dad

The first student to get picked up from airport.

We all return safe and sound to campus right on time.

Now The New South classroom portion of the trip will begin next week.

As U. S. Congressman John Lewis has said, "We must know our history as a nation and a people. We must study it and visit it's birthplaces- in essence we must live history in order to understand and appreciate it. For better or worse, our past is what brought us here, and it will help lead us to where we need to go."

We Leave New Orleans

I force them into the streets for one last group photo before we get back to the real world.

Students say it was an enriching experience. I'll save the superlatives for them. I know I had a phenomenal time.

Grand Finale

We scrimp on a couple of meals so we can celebrate our last night in grand style at Brennans. Since Bananas Foster is the only dish listed for New Orleans in the book, 1,000 Foods You Must Eat Before You Diet, we've got to experience this flaming dessert. We have our own dining room and our own show. The flames, as you can see, are quite impressive! What a great way to cap off a remarkable experience.

Dressed for Last Night on the Town

Confident, poised BPC women pose in the lobby of our hotel the Inn on Bourbon Street.

Molly Getting Interviewed

The local TV station hears about our trip and wants to learn more.
Segment may air tomorrow.

New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA)

Heading into the Disney exhibit that just opened in conjunction with the release of The Princess and the Frog that is set in New Orleans.

Heading to the Art Museum

Molly, Stephanie and Brittany get ready to board the trolley.

Free Time on Sunday

Some of us head to Mardi Gras World where we learn about the history
of Mardi Gras, try on Krewe costumes, sample King cake, and watch
artists working on the floats for the parades that run for 12 days
prior to Lent. Others go to the aquarium and World War II Museum.

In the Front Row

Here we are waiting for the Gospel Brunch to begin at House of Blues.

Buffet line at House of Blues

Tori and Molly sampling some Creole fare.

Along the Mississip

Cold and windy next to the water. We stop for a photo opp. as we leave
Natchez.

Breakfast in the Garden Room

At Monmouth before we take the house tour.

Not your standard hotel

Monmouth Plantation

We arrive in Natchez, MS. Spanish moss in the trees at the entrance
give a real Gone With the Wind feel. Yes, this house is named after
Monmouth, NJ, original home of the owner.

Depart Jackson

We are the first group to be guests at the newly renovated and
reopened King Edward Hotel. The last time this hotel was in operation
decades ago, Blacks were not allowed as guests. Jackson' first Black
Mayor is a staunch supporter for renovation rather than rebuilding.
Thank goodness he does. This grand hotel can now be shared with all.

A Very Emotional Reunion

Just minutes after our meeting with Jerry Mitchell, we have the
extraordinary honor to spend more than an hour with John Perkins, the
"Preacher" from Jerry Mitchell's article entitled, The Preacher and
the Klansman. Eleven years ago, our own Stephanie Bradshaw volunteered
with the Perkins Foundation. Her call for a visit, yielded this
opportunity for all of us. Who we have met and what we have learned
in such a short span of time is so rare and such a priviledge.

Visit with Jerry Mitchell

We were very fortunate to spend more than an hour with this courageous
and important figure for justice. He shares details about his
investigations that are truly amazing. This is a man who when told he
can't have something, "wants it about a million times more."

Thank you, Jerry Mitchell!

Jackson is in the Hospitality State

A delegation consisting of the Mayor of Jackson, the Congressman's Aide, the Exec. Dir. Of the MS Housing Partnership and others welcome us at a luncheon. In return, we reach into our own pockets and contribute much- needed supplies for a homeless shelter we visit.

Brown Chapel AME Church

This National Historic site figured prominently during the three-month
voting rights campaign of 1965. Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph
Abernathy, Malcolm X, and other leaders spoke inside, and led daily
marches in an attempt to register to vote.

Selma Times Journal

Some of our students and Dr. Surbrug meet and are interviewed by
Leesha Faulkner, the Executive Editor of the Selma Times Journal and
former colleague of Jerry Mitchell who we are meeting tomorrow.

The Edmund Pettus Bridge at Night

We huddle for warmth as Dr. Surbrug talks about events that took place in Selma that led to the marches over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. We walked the bridge from one end to the other last night.

Civil Rights Memorial

We watch the documentary, A Strong, Clear Vision about Maya Lin the
architect of this memorial on the way to Montgomery.

Kate is 7 again!

Kate Lowy shares a picture with us at age 7 of her in this very same pose. This is one instance where it is great for history to repeat itself!

Rosa Parks Museum

Here we are at the spot where Rosa Parks was arrested. The museum does
an amazing job utilizing multi-media installations to reenact the
events leading up to her arrest and the details of the bus boycott.

Night Descends on Birmingham

Vulcan Atop Red Mountain

This 56 ft. tall god of fire was Birmingham's prize-winning exhibit at the 1904 St. Louis world fair, and carries the inscription at his base predicting that his city would "exceed all others in time's march".

Kelly Ingram Park Just Before Dusk

Walking through Kelly Ingram Park just before dusk, we spend time at each of the statues that depict the kinds of violent acts that took place at the park 50 years ago. Shown here is a policeman using dogs to intimidate protestors, even those in middle school.

Stained Glass Window of the 16th Street Baptist Church

After the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, the people of Wales gathered the financial resources and commissioned Welsh artist, John Petts, to design a new window to replace the south-facing window of the church's sanctuary. The depiction of Christ shows his hands outstretched with the right hand pushing against oppression with the left hand open, representing the acceptance of reconciliation, the openness to forgive.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Remember this movie? We eat at the original Whistle Stop Cafe. It's
real name is The Irondale Cafe in Irondale. Train tracks are really
right out the front door. Another "Meat And Three (sides)" style
buffet. James, our bus driver, is now part of our BPC community. I'm
getting used to being called Miss Caron.

16th Street Baptist Church

Students take a picture of the 16th Street Baptist Church; a place they'd only imagined until today.

Day 2 in Birmingham

Statue of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth
We learned more about this major figure in the civil rights movement today. Recently, the Birmingham Airport was named for this fearless fighter against injustice in Birmingham. He now pastors a church in Ohio.

Dinner at The Fish Market

25 of us at one long marble table. Awesome food, neat wholesale market
and restaurant. Shrimp and grits, king crab legs, BBQ shrimp are just
a few of the dishes we sampled.

Some posing while we work

Volunteering at Ronald McDonald House

Our task was to take down all the Christmas decorations ... and there
was alot. In this pic, Liberty and Alyssa tote Christmas decorations
away to storage.

Delicious Lunch at Niki West's! Loved the turnip greens!

First Meal in Birmingham, AL

Sunrise at Bradley

After a tense hour and a half wait on the tarmac due to mechanical
diff. a race to make our connection in Baltimore, we arrive 10 min
ahead of schedule in Birmingham.

Bright and early we pose!

Move that bus!

Night Before Departure

Aquilah and Monique eating their beignets. They are the first to arrive! Remember bus leaves at 5:00 AM sharp!

Tomorrow, Sunday Jan. 3 - from 4:00 - 5:00 PM stop by SID for coffee and beignets to get us in the mood for New Orleans.

Don't forget to check in with Campus Public Safety once you arrive on campus.

View Out My Window

About 48 hours until we land in Birmingham. Snow is not in the forecast for us but... 30 degrees in Longmeadow and 26 degrees in Birmingham, AL. WHAT?

Welcome to the 2010 edition of One America!

This year we are traveling to the American Deep South from January 4 -11th. First stop is Birmingham, Alabama. Then on to Montgomery, AL, Selma, AL, Jackson, MS, Natchez, MS and then ending in New Orleans, LA.

Traveling with us is Dr. Robert Surbrug ( back for a second time), Stephanie Bradshaw, first time traveler and phenomenal coordinator; Precious Price (also back from last year) and first time Peer Leader; and me, V.P. Hobin. Dr. Surbrug is offering this trip as a 3 credit History course for the first time. Sorry, we could only accommodate the first 18 students on the wait list.

In all, 21 students are in the group. We hope you will drop in frequently to check on our adventures!

Yours,

V.P.