Good evening, travelers. In less than 72 hours, we’ll be together in Birmingham. I know that some of you have already started making your way and others are busy figuring out what to pack. This final communication will offer just a few more tips and tidbits of information based on questions you have posed.
Arrival
If your plane, train, or automobile is delayed on Saturday and you won’t arrive by our 4:00 pm (Central) Orientation, please text me at 804-551-0241. Be sure to include  who you are and when you hope to arrive.
Group Sharing
When you spend a week on a bus with forty-five other people you get pretty close. We’ll be sharing a lot, including germs. If you have a cold, please bring plenty of tissues and dispose of them properly. If you don’t have a cold and don’t want to get one, you might want to bring extra vitamins, zinc, Airborne, or whatever you use to fortify yourself. It’s rare anyone spreads anything, at least that we know about, but it’s good to be prepared.
We also ask that you limit scents, i.e. perfume, cologne, and any extra scented things. If people have sensitivity to scents, the close quarters of the bus could activate them. Also, be sure to check with your roommate before spraying anything in the room, burning a scented candle, etc.
And if you’re sharing a room, remember to pack your eyeshades and earplugs to manage lights and sounds that might impact your sleeping.
Gratitude
Expressing gratitude is an important part of developing relationships. We encourage you to bring thank- you cards and/or find other ways to express gratitude to those you meet along the way. On our last Pilgrimage, the participants organized a thank-you campaign to send notes to all our speakers. We’ll provide you with names and mailing addresses if someone wants to take on organizing that on this trip.
Reuse and Recycle
At Orientation on Saturday, we’ll be asking for someone to volunteer as our recycling coordinator(s) for the week. You can make their work a lot easier if you reduce the amount of recyclables you consume. Remember your water bottles! Also, if you’re inclined to help with recycling, let us know on Saturday.
Cash
Several people have asked about how much money to bring with you. It’s a good idea to have cash to leave a tip for the housekeeping staff at each hotel along our route. We generally recommend $3-5 per night. If you’re sharing a room, you can split that between you. We also recommend at least $5 per day for a total of $40 for Clarence Jones, our bus driver. We present him with an envelope at the end of the trip with our thanks. Cash is best, but if you want to write a check that’s fine too. If you can afford more that will help those who aren’t able to contribute as much. You might also want cash or credit cards for incidentals, gifts, etc. That should be all you need. 
Food
We are doing our best to accommodate everyone’s dietary restrictions. However, as I’ve said before, if you have a limited diet, it's possible that every meal will not suit you needs. We encourage you to bring snacks, protein powder, or whatever will help you manage if you’re not able to eat what’s provided at a given meal. As we go through the week, talk with us if you need assistance in this area. Thanks for understanding.   
Parking
If you’re driving, you’ll be able to part your car for the week at the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport. Ask for a parking pass when you check in. Out of courtesy to other guests, they ask that we leave our cars in the rows farther away from the door. Remember, you can leave your Saturday and Sunday clothes in your car so you don’t have to lug them all around all week. If you're not driving, you can leave stuff in one of our cars, as long as you remember to pick it up when we arrive back in Birmingham. 
Lodging
Several of you have asked where we’re staying. Below is the list of hotels, addresses, and phone numbers. Except for the first two nights in Birmingham and, if you’re staying over for the add-on night, the staff will handle check-in and will distribute keys each evening.
Saturday and Sunday, October 21 and 22Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport
5000 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N
Birmingham, AL 35212
Phone: (205) 909-1999
Monday, October 23Sleep Inn, Marion, AL
1605 AL-5
Marion, AL 36756
Phone: (334) 683-8600
Tuesday, October 24
Montgomery Holiday Inn Express
5135 Carmichael Rd
Montgomery, AL 36106
Phone: (334) 270-9199
Wednesday, October 25
Holiday Inn Meridian, MS
100 N Frontage Rd
Meridian, MS 39301
Phone: (601) 693-0160
Thursday, October 26
Holiday Inn Express, Jackson, MS
310 Greymont St
Jackson, MS 39202
Phone: (601) 948-4466
Friday, October 27
Holiday Inn Express Medical Center Memphis
1180 Union Ave
Memphis, TN 38104
Phone: (901) 276-1175
Saturday, October 28 (Only for those who made their own reservations with the hotel)
Red Roof Inn Plus
1813 Crestwood Blvd
Irondale, AL 35210
Phone: (205) 956-3650
Have a safe journey, everyone! We’ll see you Saturday in the Magic City (Birmingham)! And remember, if you missed or lost any of the earlier emails about the trip, you can find them all here: http://www.uulivinglegacy.org/oct-2017-llp-bulletins. 
My best
Annette Marquis
On behalf of the Living Legacy Pilgrimage Team
Reggie Harris, Jan Sneegas, Pam Zappardino, Joseph Selmon, and Clarence Jones

​Can you believe we're only two and half weeks away from our much-anticipated pilgrimage? The weather continues to look promising: 70s in the daytime and 50s at night. Please note that we'll be on Central Daylight time (UTC-06:00) throughout the trip so you might need to reset your watches when you arrive (or remember that your phone might have automatically reset). 

Day-to-day schedule and updated detailed itinerary
Several of you have asked for information about our day-to-day schedule. This link shows you how the days will flow: Day-to-day schedule
You'll notice that the schedule is very full and the days are long. Unlike vacation tours when you have blocks of time to explore on your own, this is a sacred pilgrimage where, because of the people we'll meet and the places we'll visit, every minute is precious. We know it asks a lot of us, but we also know, from hundreds of people who have gone on this pilgrimage before you, they wouldn't trade a minute of it. When you return home after this week, we hope you'll feel the same. 

We've also updated the more detailed itinerary with links so you can explore relevant websites ahead of time for information about each person and place we'll visit. 

Please remember that the itinerary is subject to change. The key is let the experience flow in you and through you without worrying about the clock. That's our job. We'll keep you informed about what's next and what to expect along the way. Yours job is to breathe in as much as you can and let the experience take you where it will. 

​On that note, we encourage you to tell family, friends, and employers that, with the exception of real emergencies, you are not available for this week. Put an out-of-office/away message on your email and your cell phone. Try as hard as you can to reduce distractions. We even encourage you to stay away from the news and social media, except, of course, when you're posting about the Pilgrimage (#LLP17)! It will all be there when you return home. Give yourself this week; make it as meaningful as you can. We guarantee you won't regret it. 

Past bulletins and emails
Some of you have not opened previous bulletins and emails we've sent. Just in case you're concerned that you missed anything, you'll find them all, including this one, at this link: Bulletins and emails

Special dietary needs
We make every effort to accommodate special dietary needs that you've made known to us. In addition, we'll have granola and energy bars, fruit, and other (less healthy) snacks on the bus. Our meals are not always at the same time every day so if you need to eat on a schedule, or if you require anything else that you're concerned about not getting, please bring it with you. And remember to bring a water bottle. 

Last chance for hotel room on Saturday, Oct 28th
If you want a room in Birmingham the night we return, you must call the Red Roof Inn, 1813 Crestwood Blvd, Irondale, AL 35210, at 800-733-7663 by October 4th (deadline extended) and tell them you want to reserve a room for the night of the 28th using the block code: B361Legacy. The rooms are $120 for a king and $129 for a double. Unfortunately, you must pay at the time of booking and it is not refundable if you cancel. 
As I said in my previous group email, if the room rate is too much for you, the LLP will refund you the difference between that the $99 rate we thought you could get at the Holiday Inn and this rate. 

If you'd rather stay somewhere else, and can find a room, don't feel obligated to stay with others that night. If you're sharing a room, make sure only one of you reserves for that night or you'll both have to pay. 

Let me know if you have any questions. 

Annette
Annette Marquis
Living Legacy Project Communications Coordinator

We have identified a hotel for the night we return to Birmingham, Saturday, October 28th. I have reserved a block of rooms at the Red Roof Inn, 1813 Crestwood Blvd, Irondale, AL 35210
​
If you want a room that night, you must call them at 800-733-7663 by September 28th and tell them you want to reserve a room for the night of the 28th using the block code: B361Legacy. The rooms are $120 for a king and $129 for a double. Unfortunately, because of the football crowd (see more below), you must pay at the time of booking and it is not refundable if you cancel. The game has, obviously, also affected the price. 

As I said in my previous group email, if the room rate is too much for you, the LLP will refund you the difference between that the $99 rate we thought you could get at the Holiday Inn and this rate. 

If you'd rather stay somewhere else, and can find a room, don't feel obligated to stay with others that night. 

If you're sharing a room, make sure only one of you reserves for that night or you'll both have to pay. If don't yet know who your roommate is and you need a room for that night, contact me and I'll make sure you don't both book. It's also possible to share a room with someone else for that night if your trip roommate doesn't need to stay over.

We plan to send the roommate assignments and trip roster out to everyone in the next few days so you can connect and make decisions about it. 

For those of you who care about such things, I've discovered it's not just any football game, it the Magic City Classic, an annual American football "classic" which features Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University, the two largest historically black universities in the state. So there you have it. 

Let me know if you have any questions. ​

We are less than six weeks away from our initial gathering in Birmingham on Saturday, October 21, 2017. Please read this bulletin carefully for travel information and reading/viewing resources to help you make the most of our week together. All the details are coming together and I know we will have an incredible journey. I can’t wait!
Staff
We expect to have about forty-five people total on the bus including six Living Legacy Pilgrimage staff:

• Reggie Harris, musician and LLP musical director
• Jan Sneegas, logistics and team support staff
• Pam Zappardino, logistics and team support staff
• Joseph Selmon, tour guide
• Clarence Jones, driver
• Annette Marquis, Pilgrimage coordinator

In addition, leaders from Coming to the Table, our partners in this Pilgrimage, will be working with us to help everyone process and integrate the week.
Roommates and Roster
In the next couple of weeks, we’ll send you a roster of everyone who will be on the trip, their email addresses, and home cities and states. The roster will also include roommate assignments. So, for those of you who asked us to assign a roommate, you’ll be able to be in touch with each other beforehand, if you want to get to know each other a little.
Lodging in Birmingham
We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Birmingham-Airport, 5000 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N, Birmingham, AL 35212, 877-859-5095. If you plan to arrive early or stay after we return and want to reserve a room directly with the hotel for those nights, give them the group name “Living Legacy Pilgrimage” and the rate of $99. If you have any problem reserving at this rate, please let me know. They’ve had some personnel changes and I’m not certain everything is entered correctly in their system yet.
You might also choose to shop around at general hotel websites because, if you want to go that route, you could possibly get a better online rate.
Travel to Birmingham
Hopefully, by now you’ve made arrangements for travel to Birmingham or at least have an idea of your mode of transportation. If you’re flying into Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), we suggest doing a little research into the amazing life of Fred Shuttlesworth. We’ll be visiting his former church on Sunday morning!
The Holiday Inn Birmingham-Airport offers shuttle service from the airport, which is less than 10 minutes from the hotel. Just call the hotel at 877-859-5095 when you arrive and they’ll come to pick you up.
If you’re driving to Birmingham, be sure to let the front desk know when you check in so you can get a parking pass for your car.
If you need a ride from the bus or train station, let me know when you’re expected to arrive and we’ll arrange to have someone pick you up.
If you plan to leave us in Memphis on Saturday, October 28, please make arrangements to get you to your next destination from the National Civil Rights Museum. We will be finishing up there around noon and heading back to Birmingham. If you’re planning to go directly to the airport, let me know, and we might be able to drop you off on our way out of town.
Packing and Weather
Indications are the temperatures should be in the 70s during the day and 50s at night with lots of sunshine, i.e., PERFECT! However, after the past two weeks, we all know that could change in an instant. We suggest you pack lightly layered clothing, a sweater and rain jacket, for example, to keep you comfortable in any weather we might experience.
Sunday, October 22 is the only day you will need “church clothes.” We will be attending services at Bethel Baptist Church of Collegeville, the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth’s former church, and then having lunch and a program at Historic Bethel Baptist Church. We ask that you dress up (at least a little) for the occasion. If you want to leave your dress clothes in Birmingham, you're welcome to put them in my car (as long as you remember to claim them when we get back to Birmingham or Diversity Thrift in Richmond will receive a nice donation!). 
Plan to wear comfortable clothes and good walking shoes. You will have to lug your suitcase into the hotel and back again every day so we suggest you pack lightly. We don't care if you wear the same outfit more than once (as long as you shower regularly!).
Those of us who have spent a lot of time on the bus have found that a small day pack works well in the overhead bin or on the floor by your feet to hold the stuff you might need during the day.
Also, please remember to pack a water bottle. We will have some bottled water for those who need it but, for the environment's sake, we don't want to purchase too much of it. We'll also have some snacks on the bus, but bring whatever you know you'll want (or need) with you so you're not disappointed that we didn't get your favorite kind.
Advance Reading/Viewing Focused on the History of White Supremacy in US
In preparation for our time together, in order to create a “common base” of awareness for all participants, you are encouraged to read/view the following resources in advance, which are listed in order of importance for our time together; with the readings considered essential grounding information:
If you are not familiar with Coming to the Table, please visit the home page and look around:  http://comingtothetable.org/
Essential reading:

• Transforming Historical Harms - read pages 7-13
• Circle Process (2 pages)
• Touchstone Agreements (2 pages)
• White Fragility http://libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/view/249
• Checking my Privilege http://www.colorlines.com/articles/peggy-mcintosh-sets-record-straight-white-privilege

Watch one or both of the following films, and/or the two online videos:

• I Am Not Your Negro(available on DVD). From the New York Times: “Whatever you think about the past and future of what used to be called ‘race relations’ – white supremacy and the resistance to it, in plainer English – this movie will make you think again, and may even change your mind… you would be hard-pressed to find a movie that speaks to the present moment with greater clarity and force, insisting on uncomfortable truths and drawing stark lessons from the shadows of history.”
• The Ghost in Your Genes: An introduction to the discovery of epigenetics – hidden influences upon the genes – could affect every aspect of our lives, and help explain how historical traumatic harms, such as the legacy of slavery, continues to impact us – in our very DNA – today.
• James Baldwin debates William F. Buckley (1965): In 1965, James Baldwin debated William F. Buckley at Cambridge University. The topic: “Is the American Dream at the expense of the American Negro?”
• Other movies that provide background for this tour are SELMA, and THE LONG WALK HOME. Both are available from your favorite streaming service.

Social Media/Writing
If you're into social media, or even if you're not and you'd like to learn, we appreciate all the tweeting, Facebooking, Instagramming, blogging, and whatever other social media you want to share. We invite you to document as much of your journey as you want, from packing until you return home again, for the folks back home, for future pilgrims, and for your own memories. Please use hashtag #LLP17 so we can identify your posts and share them on the Living Legacy Pilgrimage and Coming to the Table platforms.
That's all for now. Questions? Feel free to contact us at [email protected].

We’re thrilled to announce that we have enough people registered to confirm the Living Legacy Racial Justice Pilgrimage with Coming to the Table, October 21-28, 2017! We're so glad you can all join us on the bus!

TRAVEL INFORMATION
It’s a good idea to begin exploring transportation options to and from Birmingham, Alabama, i.e., flights, train schedules, bus routes, etc., so you can secure the best options and rates. We will meet in Birmingham on Saturday, October 21 at 4:00 pm. for a welcome reception, orientation, and dinner, followed by an optional activity, so plan to arrive with enough time to settle in and relax a little before things kick off.

Flights
If you’re flying, many of you will be able to arrange a Saturday flight to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) that will get you there in time for our 4 pm gathering. If you need to arrive the day before or leave the day after, you will be able to make a reservation at the same hotel we’ll be staying at in Birmingham for that extra night, and, of course, you’re free to stay somewhere else. We will give you more about how to make a reservation for pre- and post- nights and about the airport shuttle in a future bulletin.

Amtrak and buses
Birmingham is serviced by Amtrak and by Greyhound and other bus lines. If you’re coming by train or bus, let us know when you’ll be arriving and we’ll arrange for you to be picked up at the station.  
If anyone is coming from New York City, CT, RI, or anywhere down the Amtrak "Crescent" route from NYC--Philadelphia, Washington DC, Greensboro, Spartanburg, Atlanta, and would like to share a roomette with one of our participants, email us at livinglegacypilgrimage@gmail and we’ll put you in touch.

Driving
We will make arrangements with our Birmingham hotel for you to be able to leave your car without charge in the hotel parking lot for the duration of our trip. More information to come.

Leaving for home at the end of the Pilgrimage
Our final day, Saturday, Oct 28, begins at a hotel in Memphis, TN. We will spend that morning at the National Civil Rights Museum. The bus will depart for Birmingham around lunchtime.

Important: If you plan to fly home on Saturday, Oct 28, do not schedule any flight from the Birmingham Airport before 6:00 pm on Saturday. It’s an almost four-hour trip from Memphis to Birmingham so we probably won’t arrive at the Birmingham airport until at least 4:30 that afternoon so give yourself time so you don’t miss your flight.

PREPARING FOR THE TRIP
For you to get the most out of this experience, we hope you will do some advance reading and video watching. Our website, www.uullivinglegacy.org, gives you an overview map and listing of Pilgrimage stops (see Route), and offers a large number of resources (see Resources) covering both history and current developments relevant to our stops. We thought we would highlight a few especially good sources that you might find in your library or bookstore.

Books
Weary Feet, Rested Souls
We recommend that you purchase a copy of Weary Feet, Rested Souls by Townsend Davis to carry with you on the journey. It’s available from Amazon in print, both new and used copies, and Kindle editions, or you can order it from your favorite independent bookstore. Arranged by location, Weary Feet, Rested Souls describes each place we will visit, including maps, Movement history, photos and quotes. It provides a good preliminary review of the significance of each site, and a helpful tool for remembering the sites and telling others about them back home. We will be telling you which pages describe each day’s itinerary.

Civil Rights Movement
For a general look at the historic Civil Rights Movement, two books are especially well done:

• Parting the Waters – America in the King Years, 1954-1963, by Taylor Branch – a comprehensive and informative summary of historic events with ML King, Jr. as a focus.
• The Children, by David Halberstam – Tells the stories of the young people in Nashville who formed the core of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and what they have done with their lives since the Movement days.

Especially for those of you who are Unitarian Universalists, we highly recommend reading Mark Morrison Reed’s book: The Selma Awakening: How the Civil Rights Movement Tested and Changed Unitarian Universalism. It’s available from the UUA Bookstore and from Amazon(including Kindle edition). According to the UUA Bookstore, “With rigorous scholarship and unflinching frankness, The Selma Awakening provides a new way of understanding Unitarian Universalist engagement with race and offers an indispensable new resource for anyone interested in UU history.”

Slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow
In our next bulletin, we will recommend a few key resources to orient you to the Southern experience of slavery, reconstruction, and the Jim Crow era.

FILMS
Several films are well worth watching on your own. Some are available through streaming services or your local library. We will be using some visual materials on the bus, but will not have the time to include all segments of these excellent resources:

• Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years 1954-1965 by Henry Hampton - (available now in a 3 DVD set) We will view the Selma and Mississippi segments on the bus, but all sections are well-worth watching ahead of time.
• Home of the Brave – the case of Viola Liuzzo, who was killed on the road between Selma and Montgomery following the famous march.
• The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, by Keith Beauchamp – covers the murder and aftermath of 14 year old Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi in 1955.
• Freedom Summer (2014) — describes the 10 weeks in 1964 when more than 700 student volunteers from around the country joined organizers and local African Americans to register voters in Mississippi.
• Strange Fruit (2002) — the story behind Billie Holiday’s signature anti-lynching song examines the history of lynching, and the interplay of race, labor and the left, and popular culture that shaped the civil rights movement.
• This is just a start. You’ll find more on our Resources page and many more with some searching around the Web. The more you know before the Pilgrimage, the more you’ll gain from the Pilgrimage itself.

ABOUT REPARATIONS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
The value of this Living Legacy Pilgrimage is priceless. The cost of the trip is an opportunity for individuals who are privileged by means of their color to take a concrete action toward healing the wounds of enslavement by offering an opportunity for a second person whose life has been impacted by color discrimination or by the legacy of enslavement to fully participate in the Pilgrimage.
We encourage participants who have the resources to do so to contribute to our Coming to the Table Individual Reparations Account (CTTT-IRA) (Learn more about an Individual Reparations Account). Every donation you make will go directly to allowing someone else to join us on the bus. Thank you to those who have already given so generously.

DONATE TODAY. All of us will be richer for these reparations.

FUTURE UPDATES
Your planning team is working on setting up all the details, and you should look for regular bulletinsfrom us over the next three months that will help you prepare and know what to expect. In the meantime, if you have questions, please visit our website at www.uulivinglegacy.org or feel free to e-mail us at [email protected].
See you in Birmingham!

Living Legacy Pilgrimage Coming to the Table Planning Team
Living Legacy Pilgrimage staff
Annette Marquis, Joseph Selmon, and Reggie Harris
Coming to the Table representatives
Allison Thomas and Martha Rollins
And others, behind the scenes, from both organizations