True Love Waits: The National Civil Rights Museum

The True Love Waits program takes all the girls on their annual trip. Every year we went somewhere different. True Love Waits is a group of girls who makes a commit to God to not have sex before marriage. As a group, all the girls wanted to go to Florida. In 2013 we went to Disney World. While we were there we visited BB King, Medieval time and The Holy Land. At the time when we went to Florida, Trayvon Martin was murdered. After his death, my whole life change. Bad thoughts runs through my head. I even wonder if I was next. In 2014, we went to Memphis, Tennessee. While we were there we visit, The National Civil Rights Museums, Stax Museums and the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum. This was an important event for me because I actually

gotten the chance to see where salves travel to escape and where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at. These were memories I will always cherish.
At the age of 14, a black teen was brutally murdered for reportedly flirting with a white woman. His name was Emmett Till. It was 1955 and It was now time for The True Love waits program to depart from Beaufort, SC and went to Memphis, Tennessee. In Memphis, Tennessee the True Love Waits went to Cracker Barrel to have breakfast. It felt good to be surrounded by loves one. While everyone was waiting for their food, everyone was going around showing love and telling jokes. The moment when the food came, the talking was over. When everyone got done, we went to gift shop and look at the gifts. After looking in the gift shop everyone had to use the restroom because nobody likes to use the restroom while the bus is moving while other went outside and load the bus. The bus was purple, white and black. The bus was filled, in order for you to get a good seat you had to be on time. Most of the adults sit to the front, while my family sat in the front. Also the little ones sat in the back of the bus with their parents. Before we departed our pastor said a prayer for traveling mercy. Then we hit the road. It was the longest ride to Memphis. While we was the road, we watched one of Tyler Perry Movies, because my aunt loves his movies and plus she was in charge of the bus. The bus was filled with fun and laugh. The littles ones was making a lot of noise and playing their games, while the adults was gossiping about someone. We just have reached five hours, and everyone was tired. As for me, I am always sleepy. On the bus, my father sat next to me and my sister sat next to my mom. That’s how it’s always been, I was always a daddy's girl and my sister was a mommy’s girl. I didn’t mind my father sitting next to me, until he had to use the restroom so many times while I was sleeping. Everyone in my family knows I don’t like to be disturbed while I am sleeping. After being awoken by my father, I couldn’t go back to sleep. So I decide to look out the window. As I was looking at the window, I saw tress and there was a lot of them. The trees were standing tall and straight. Then finally I saw some buildings, I was hoping that we was there, but turns out not to be there. When I saw the buildings, some were old and torn down, the building looks like that they have been there for many years. I didn’t expect Memphis to look that way. I thought Memphis would’ve look better than Beaufort, but it wasn’t. To me, they had it worse than me. Seeing those buildings and people make me appreciate what I have in life. I know not to take life for granted because they are people out there, who wants a better life. I know my life isn’t perfect, but I am looking forward to it being worth it.
After ten hours we finally arrive to Memphis. When we first got there, we stop at the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum. The salve haven is place where slaves live and work for their master. The museum was fill with pictures. Along with the pictures on the wall, there where chains that salve was had worn when it was time for them to leave. There at the museum I got the chance to see where the salves escape underneath the house, how the kitchen and the rooms look. The salves escape underneath the house, underneath the house was a basement, where you had to open the door on the floor, walk down the stairs and you was in the basement. In the basement, the salves had built a pathway for them to escape. At night the salves would escape at night and they would use signals to tell other salves when it’s time to escape. One of the signals was the quilt, they would hang the quilt on the line outside. Each quilt meant something during the day one quilt will stay up until night, to let others know it was time. The second was singing songs. The salves will sing songs while working to let others know. A haven for salves was the only way to freedom.
Next, was The Stax Museum .The Stax Museum is the only museum to dedicated American soul music. The museum is fill with amazing collection of more than 2,000 artifacts, interactive exhibits, films and galleries.( The Stax Museum). Also they contribute to the artists who recorded there. In the Stax Museum was their own studio, where artists recorded. One of my favorite places was the music station. At the music station there were all kinds of music and genre to listen too. I love music. My favorite artists from the Stax Museum was Isaac Haynes. The museum dedicated most of their work to him. There, they have his actual car, on the car it’ said “don’t touch my ride”. Also they have his clothing and other artists clothing .The Stax Museum isn’t just know for their museum but also known for their Stax music academy and The Soulsville Charter School. Just being there was amazing, I haven’t heard about this place until I attend it and I would recommend this place to anyone who loves soul music and what to know more about the history.
Next, I visited the National Civil Rights Museum.

The National Civil Rights Museum is the American’ story. This is the story and the struggled of Americans centuries ago. The museum offers 260 artifacts, more than 40 new films, oral histories, interactive media and external listening posts that guides visitors through history ( National Civil Rights Museum) .The museum’s collection mission to preserve, educate and exhibit was formulated and collecting efforts were focused on acquiring and preserving objects representing the American Civil Rights history and African American history and culture. (National Civil Rights Museum).When entering the museum, we enter the circular gallery. At the circular galley, we would walk on the floor map of North and South America, Europe and Africa. Second, I visited the timeline of amendments and legislation that granted right to African Americans. Though historic photographs and legal text, about the despite segregation. Third, I visited the public schools. The classroom took place in the courtroom and the classroom. The public schools showed the mapping of desegregation and how it unfolded in states all over the country. Fourth, I visited the bus. By entering the bus, you can her an audio of what happen during this boycott with Rosa Park. The audio also plays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speech delivered on the first night of the boycott. Fifth, I visited the original lunch counter. While we saw the gentle men sitting down at the lunch counter, the museum shows actually footage of this happen back during segregation. Sixth, we went to “We Are Prepared to Die.” There, I saw the bus that the freedom riders rode on. Seventh, I visited the jail cell to hear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reading of his letter from a Birmingham jail. In front of the jail house was pivotal moments and speeches during the campaign. Eight, I visit “I am man”. The gallery explains the story of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike. Rev. James Lawson and T.O.

Jones, was on behalf of the strike. Strikers walk around with the “I Am a Man” signs and the garbage truck. (National Civil Rights Museum).The Mountaintop Theatre is shows Martin Luther King Jr. last speech before he died. The Black Power shares the rise and fall of one of the most influential, yet often misunderstood, movements in the civil rights struggle. The movements explain it’s a continuation of the Civil Right Movement rather than a radical movement. (National Civil Rights Museum)Finally, I visited Martin Luther King Jr. motel and it was amazing. I walk into the motel room and the bed that Martin Luther King Jr slept in just hours before he was assassinated on April 4, 1986.The motel he slept in has two bed. By his bed was his bible that he read every night. The further I walk into the motel room, I saw Martin Luther King Jr. last meal. The last meal he ate was a sandwich and a cup of coffee. I also I got the chance to see the truth he use you use for he was assassinated. After being the motel, I got the chance to walk out on the balcony, where he was kill. There I saw where the man that shoot him was standing. Also the motel has the wreath exactly where he was standing when he was assassinated. Below the motel was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr car. I didn’t get the chance to look inside of the car, because the museum had it blocked off. The Legacy building is the boarding house from where the assassin’s shot was allegedly fired. On the second of the Legacy building, the have investigate the assassination. The case against James Earl Ray and his theories. On the first floor, it illustrate the Movement’s impact of human rights efforts. I just love being there, it felt like I was there when it actually help. I can say this by far was the best trip I went on.
In conclusion, I enjoy myself on these trips. If I could I would do it all over again. I learn and gain a lot knowledge from these special events. At first, I thought I wasn’t going to like it and I would find it to be very boring. Turns out I love it. I am visional leaner, so I like to see things. Attending The National Civil Rights Museum, I saw everything and I will always treasure this memory.