I could no longer hear the birds rejoice, nor could I feel the warmth of the sunlight reflecting off my forehead as I entered the National Historic Site of the M.L.K District. Upon entering I could sense the strange but curious vibes that infiltrated the air with a significant but personal effect on the various people as they also entered. As I carefully observed the historical artifacts that were displayed in the lobby I also noticed the enlightenment and acknowledgement it portrayed on the professors and young adults. It also came to my attention that the little children who were there on a field trip were not as interested nor intrigued, and only perceived these artifacts as pieces of history. The significant but personal effect that differentiated the various people as they entered the facility were distinguished by their race. For whites this national historic site created a feeling of sympathy and thankfulness while simultaneously creating a feeling of guilt and courage for blacks.
Before entering the famous Dr. Martin Luther King exhibition, our tour host, Alana Bell (dressed in all black to represent the black history movement) informed the visitors that “Martin Luther King Jr. perceived a well of energy inside each person , in which he called love and which he believed could be chided into giant, collective weapon against injustice and inequality.” She continued to elaborate about how it was destined for Martin to become a preacher/abolitionist and that he had a passion for transforming the human soul. Alana also expressed the commitment and dedication Mr. king and his companions put forth but still she felt if Martin Luther message had been partially understood. Upon entering I’ve acknowledge that the various resources and artifacts that were allocated in this exhibition have been displayed in a chronological sequence that enables the viewer with a concrete perception of what Martin Jr. life was really like. Furthermore they provided evidence such as excerpts from his writing, speeches and recordings to better tell his story.
I could see the lights get dimmer as I approached the entrance of the exhibition and to the right of me there stood a immaculate cocaine white stand with microphones branching out in each and every direction and a red rope preventing from any interactions with this historical content . This marvelous stand symbolizes the significant beliefs and the horrific struggles that African Americans encountered during the civil rights movement. This is also the very stand were Martin Jr. proposed his excerpts that he wrote in jail called ” A Letter From A Birmingham Jail” on April 16th. In this letter Martin Jr. emphasized all the hatred and other discriminatory acts that were enforced among him and his people but most importantly he demonstrated an unjudge-mental perspective by implying the fact that people don’t achieve a full understanding of a situation until they are the situation. To the left of the stand there stood a circular alignment of mirrors with captions and famous quotes which filled the reader with inspiration to strive for what they believe in.
Hesitantly I followed a long narrow street were I suddenly came to a stop only to be distracted by what appeared to be black, white, girl and boy manikins that were all posed as if they were walking to freedom. This historical piece of evidence signifies the start of blacks and whites coming together for whats right. The most valuable piece on the narrow street that stole my attention was the manikin of this pale white guy whose clothes have huge rips and tears, whose facial expression is yelling out pain and furthermore who is on crutches because he only has one leg and is still marching with blacks for their freedom. Standing there in the midst of the street looking at this pale manikin I said to myself “why is he marching?” and at that very moment I noticed that they were all looking at what seems to be Martin Jr. saying ” Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of selfishness. This is the judgement. Life most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?”
In the 13 or 14 years or so that Martin Jr. lead the American Civil Rights Movement African Americans made more progress towards equality than ever in history before. In 1964 Martin Jr. became the youngest person to ever achieve a Nobel Piece Prize. In 1980 they built the M.L.K. National Historic Site on Auburn Ave and reserve the place open to the public at free of charge, in which they allow visitors and other tourists to tour the places where he lived, worked, worshiped and which is now buried. This preservation district that surrounds the national historic site consist of two halfs; the eastern half of the district which is mostly residential and the western half which is primarily commercial. Most buildings in this Auburn Ave district are privately owned and accepts visitors daily from the hours of 9 to 5. My title “Knowledge is key” because what you don’t know can have a significant impact your cognitive ability to adapt and learn from your environment and its surroundings.