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:
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:
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
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.
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