KKK Gowns & Disappointment

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Today, on the fourth day of our trip, I am drawn to thinking about the real people who experienced the movement as we have learned about it. Whenever I study anything in school, it somehow feels distant. It’s hard to describe; I know what happened must have happened, but somehow it’s still hard to believe. 

At the Civil Rights Institute today in Birmingham, Alabama, I saw — once again — a KKK gown donated by an anonymous individual. All of the KKK gowns I have seen thus far haven’t had a name to them, and that angers me. You aren’t who your ancestors were, but by trying to forget what they did, you give yourself the possibility of becoming them. But, after I made this conclusion, I realized that I was thinking about real people with real conflictions. What would I do if I found out that my ancestors were KKK members? What would any of my friends do if they found out that their ancestors were Klan members? I would hope that we would act with courage and embrace the evils of our forefathers, but I can’t say that for sure.




This troubles me. When people like Mr. Jones say that it’s up to us to make change, that all the change we’ve learned about was instigated by teenagers, I feel disappointed in myself. Why haven’t I done anything? Our country never became equal, so why did we stop pushing for change? I hope that when we get home from this trip, we can do something definitive, even if it is something small. We owe it to Mr. Jones, to Ms. Goree, to Ms. Burke-Brooks, and to everyone else who has dedicated their life to the movement. 

-Xandi

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