Phew!  Yesterday was a tiring and, for me, an emotionally draining day !  We began the Day at the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro.  This is how their website describes them:  The Beloved Community Center of Greensboro, North Carolina (BCC) is a community-based, grassroots empowerment oriented organization rooted in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy of proactive struggles for racial and economic justice, democracy and beloved community, the BCC is committed to grassroots empowerment, especially among minorities, within the context and spirit of forging a beloved community for all residents.  It is definitely faith-based , and the feel of the place is like that of a church.  Rev. Nelson Johnson and his wife, Joyce, spoke to us at some lengths about their experiences working in the Civil Rights Movement of the 59s and 60s and continuing to work for justice and racial healing into the present.  I so admire people like them, willing to give all in this work,yet seeming to continue to carry hope and joy.  They are so strong.  It was another gift to be in their presence and hear part of their story. I am always moved and inspired by people whose strong faith leads them to work for and with the poor and oppressed. 
After our time at Beloved Community we went to the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, housed in the Woolworth’s store that was the scene of the widely-known sit- ins from 1960.  The actual lunch counter has been preserved .  Being in that space felt like being on holy ground. Those boys were so very brave.     Our tour guide was great, and certainly didn’t whitewash any of the awful history of how white America has consistently oppressed people of color, particularly African-Americans.  My grief felt overwhelming in several of the exhibits.  I heard so many expressions of grief and also anger from my Black companions. I can only imagine.

After lunch we headed to Charlotte, arriving there in the late afternoon.  We had a visit to the Museum of the New South.  Interesting, but rather rushed.  The upstairs, which’s entitled K(no)w Justice, K(no)w Peace, deals with police shootings of mostly unarmed Black men.  It was tough to see.  

Dinner was at a place called Chuy’ s, a Mexican restaurant .  Good food, so laughs with new friends, Elsie, Courtney, and Jakia.  It was noisy and chaotic , but I was able to enjoy the meal and even had a Corona!

We got to Atlanta at about midnight, which is why I didn’t write last night.  A good night’s sleep and a satisfying breakfast have made me ready for another day.