Segregation “mindset”

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I learned a lot at our first stop of the trip — the International Civil Rights Museum. One thing that seemed particularly interesting was the idea of an oppressive and segregated “mindset.” Our tour guide explained that even after walls or fences had been taken down separating blacks and whites, people continued to separate themselves on their own. Additionally, I tried my luck with a literacy test and failed. Our tour guide gave us examples of ridiculous questions asked of people of color attempting to gain the right to vote, like “how many bubbles will this bar of soap produce?” and he showed us a vintage coke machine which offered cokes for 5 cents on one side and 10 cents on the other. These double sided coke machines were clearly meant for segregation purposes, and Coca Cola quickly recalled the machines in the 70s and 80s, apparently they don’t even exist in the Coca Cola museum in Atlanta. It was awesome to see the original counter at which the A&T four sat in 1960, and I liked seeing their statues. Looking forward to tomorrow and the rest of the week.

 -Noë Wolf 

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