Selma

The past few days have been inspiring. Selma Alabama is unlike any place we've been so far. The cities of Birmingham, Atlanta, Montgomery and Greensboro have all been fairly similar to Baltimore. Decently sized cities with some old, beautiful neighborhoods, and some rough neighborhoods, they all have bright lights and a fairly active nightlife. They're all rich in history but none of them are anything like Selma. Selma is a whole different animal. It's small and divided. The big cities flow from neighborhood to neighborhood and somehow everything fits. In Selma, everything looks out of place and there are two distinct sides of town. There are the slums, the worn down houses traditionally for black families. This includes the government-subsidized projects, which are functional but small, and repetitive. And then, not a mile away, there are big beautiful houses with columns and fancy porches that used to house the white families. They have wrap around porches and matching shutters in each window. Some of them are over stated but it was one of the starkest contrasts I've seen so far. The segregation from up until the 1960s is still present today in Selma through the created divides around town.  The locals we came across though, still were some of the friendliest and welcoming people we've met. The lunch at the Tabernacle church was one of the happiest meals I've ever had. We had a buffet style meal of fried chicken, green beans, white rice, gravy, and rolls. All served with the perfect sweet tea. I might never eat Yankee food again.

Sam, The Park School