All posts tagged: civil rights

The Road Home: Marching from Selma to Montgomery

Published by Khadijat Oseni

One plane. Two feet. Three breaths. Four different thoughts flickering back and forth like a light bulb spiraling out of energy. Step after step after step definitions of purpose circle my brain as I move from point A to B, trepidation to resolve. I had been tapped by the State of Alabama and the National Park Service to partake in their 50th Anniversary Walking Classroom where 300 people from across all U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, would congregate and reenact the historic Selma to Montgomery March for voting rights – 54 miles for five days straight. We would learn and document firsthand experiences from some of the original foot soldiers, like Dr. Bernard Lafayette and Dr. Frederick D. Reese who walked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965, and I was afraid of debasing a legacy that made relatively cold, still gravel appear like shiny rose petals beneath my feet. This was holy ground, and I was sullied in this matrimony of thought as freedom of choice is something that I’ve tasted all my …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Spirit Trickey

Published by Confessions of a Jetsetter

“South Africa changed my life. I had the incredible privilege to travel to Cape Town, South Africa for my International Public Service Project while attending the Clinton School of Public Service in 2009. I had always wanted to visit South Africa ever since I was a child who accompanied my mother on a freedom march in the late 80’s chanting, “Free Mandela, Jail Botha.” I was fascinated by the hundreds of people marching in support of Mandela – a man who lived clear across the world. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but my mother explained it in full detail the day he was released from prison. I remember that moment just like yesterday… As the daughter of activist parents, social justice issues have always intrigued me. When I got the chance, I wanted to explore the similarities and differences between the impact of apartheid in South Africa and the United States. I was chilled to the bone getting a glimpse into post apartheid South Africa, and even more so to recognize the …