Debate Team Trip: Alabama (Thursday)

A change of plans was made so that part of the group could return to Montgomery, Alabama for a day. Ms. Edwards and two of the students headed to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Before going into the Institute though we spend a little time at Kelly Ingram Park right across the street from the Institute. The park is actually historical. It was at this location that an organized boycott and protest was held in 1963. In May 1963 Birmingham police and firemen confronted the demonstrators (some of them children) with threats of mass arrests and eventually with police dogs and fire hoses. The park was named after Osmond Kelly Ingram. He was the first sailor in the US Navy to be killed in World War I.

Pictures of Abby, Chelsea and myself outside the park

Here I am sitting on top of one of the fire hoses that the police and fire department would have used to stop the protesters.

Here are two young adults trying to avoid the water hoses....The pressure of the hoses was so strong that it would knock you on the ground if you were hit directly.

Here is a close up of the two young adults who were being hit by the water hoses.

Here is a broken pillar that was located in one of the corners of the park. There were four pillars that were created like this to represent the four children who lost their lives in the bombing at the church. It is supposed to represent a life cut short.

Three of the minister who were taking part in the demonstration stood their grounds and decided to kneel and pray. They were arrested for protesting.

In the middle the park are four fountains. If you stand in the middle you can hear each of the four fountains...they all have a different tone to them.

One of the statutes in park are realistic looking dogs. As you walk through this area it appears that the dogs are going to attack at any moment and the only thing holding them back are the leashes.

This statute is a young man who is being held by a police officer. It appears as if the dog is about to attack the boy. Photos of this can be found in many museums and several books.

Looking through these bars it appears as if the children are behind bars. Many children were arrested during Civil Rights Protest.

In one of the corners of the park is a statute of Martin Luther King Jr. He is looking across the street to the location of the bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church. The girls and I were lucky enough to be able to walk around the park with an individual who lived in the area during the movement.

Near the 16th Street Baptist Church is a memorial to the four girls that were killed in a bombing that took place on September 15, 1863. The bomb was set by members of the Ku Klux Klan. It has been proven that Bobby Frank Cherry, Thomas Blanton, Herman Rash and Robert Chambliss were involved with the bombing. Addie Mae Collins (14), Denise McNair (11), Carole Robertson (14), and Cynthia Wesley (14) were killed in the blast. 22 other individuals were injured.

Here is a picture of the church. The bottom of the church has a memorial for the girls. We weren't able to go into the memorial because it didn't open until 1:00 AM.

After walking around the park we went into the Civil Rights Institute. No pictures were allowed inside the museum. The museum traced the civil rights movement from start until its end. There was a room in which you could listen to first hand accounts by different individuals who were a part of the movement.

One of the displays that I found to be the most interesting was one that time lined how long it took for the individuals involved with the bombing at the church to be charged and convicted with the bombing.

• It wasn't until 1978 that Robert Edwards Chambliss was prosecuted and found guilty for four murders. He was sentenced to several terms of life imprisonment. He died in 1985.
• Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr was convicted in 2001. He was sentenced to life in prison
• Bobby Frank Cherry was convicted in 2002. He was sentenced to life in prison.
• Herman Frank Cash died in 1994. No charges were ever filed against him.
  

After leaving the Institute we met up with the rest of the group and went to a What A Burger for lunch. Not a bad meal at all. After lunch we headed to the Speech Finals. The finals were held in a Civic Center like location. We were there for over four hours and heard some amazing speeches and partner speeches.

It was nice to see the best of the best in the country competing with each other. There were three rounds of competition that we sat through: Humor, Dramatic, and Dual.


During the competition there were awards given to coaches who reached diamond levels. They were awarded these levels based upon their years of service and overall scores. It was interesting to see the different people receiving their awards and the level that they had achieved through the years.