Mendenhall

On Tuesday we were able to take a trip to Mendenhall, where Dr. John Perkins began his faithful journey as a civil rights activist and started living his life for God. We entered the area beginning with the poverty filled side where the majority of the people living there were colored. The houses were beat up and torn apart. We were fortunate enough to take a tour of the Mendenhall Ministries foundation where John Perkins and his wife started their ministries. Going into the gym they have there gave us a sense of what the kids take part in everyday after school. There were murals all over the walls expressing unity and the love God has for us. The pictures were so inspiring and you were really able to get insight on how they live. On one mural, it was a picture of a railroad and then children of every color playing with each other and holding hands. This was significant because in the town of Mendenhall, a railroad literally splits the two extremes and separates them. On one side you see the poverty and the hurt, but the second you cross over the railroad you begin to see nice buildings and stores and big properties with beautiful homes. The majority of people switch to whites and it’s almost like you entered a completely different city. When I was reflecting on the drive back, I started to wonder what the whites thought about the poverty that was walking distance from them. I wanted to know how they felt about the separation and if any of them considered helping them. Walking up and down the main street where most of the boycotts and parades took place during the civil rights movement was like walking back in time and just taking on the burden that the black people took on in that time. And the thing that strikes me the most is that all of this wasn’t even that long ago. I hope to take this experience back with me and just love on others and accept them for everything that they are. This trip has truly been life changing and has given so many more perspectives on life.

                                                                                -Morgan Gillam