We boarded a charter bus in the darkness of the morning, just before dawn. There was a stillness in the air and everyone was moderately quiet, speaking in soft voices and whispers. After we were all boarded and prepared to go, Heidi Williams-Cooper led the group in prayer. On that bus surrounded by ancient oaks with the moonlight peaking through the clouds, she led us in prayer for the journey, wisdom, and a revealing of purpose. Following the prayer, the driver guided the bus through the winding roads as Heidi played a song, “We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest.” Some absorbed the song head bowed and eyes closed while others swayed to the bouncing melody. This was the commencement and preparation of a day of healing, deep reflection, and understanding of collective responsibility.
Once we arrived at the memorial site, we gathered outside of the entrance at The Memory Wall: Strength. It was quiet except for the birds chirping in the air. It was spiritual, stilling, connecting, and emotional. Heidi passed out dossiers of persons who had been lynched (the team studied these persons the previous day during the retreat). Then she led us in lifting up our ancestors and a call for healing. She reminded us to ground ourselves when necessary, to breathe and release. She reminded us to take care of ourselves and say if/when we weren’t okay - so we could support each other. We traveled through the memorial at our own pace, learned stories about our history, and found the names of the persons in our dossiers. It was intense, emotional, and cathartic.
Following the site visit, we made our way to the museum for respite and restoration as we ate lunch at Pannie-George's Restaurant. It was there that we laughed, leaned into each other, and breathed. It was there we found balance and the lifting of heaviness. We were able to leave behind the weight that we didn’t need to carry and harness the lessons, connection, and love. We then ventured into the museum where we explored modern-day lynchings. There too, we comforted one another and led with love. Some sat on the floor and journaled, others quietly wiped away tears rolling across their cheeks. Some simply leaned on walls to hold themselves up and ground when they couldn’t move forward. We saw the unfortunate parallels and fear of the black body and the need to dominate, control, and terrorize. This experience was the realization of James Baldwin's words — “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
As we wrapped up the visit and settled in on the bus for the ride home, we were able to take it all in. Some people shared and reflected with others, others journaled, and some retreated inward.
This visit reminded the Black Teacher Collaborative why they are creating a place where black people can bring their whole selves; It reminded individuals of the work they need to do for themselves towards their own healing and development; it reminded us why we do what we do. As Heidi stated in our debrief, “ We wholeheartedly believe truth-telling is paramount to the healing of all of America.”
- Jarrod Walker, Catalyst
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