Emily Eldridge

We walked across the bridge and saw this park on the other side of the street. We decided to head over to have a look. Really special place honoring civil rights heroes. Worth stopping at. The park doesn’t look well maintained though, which is sad. We wanted to walk down on the trail they have, but there was litter and overgrowth when we went. We had our 11 year old with us, who hasn’t formally learned (meaning in school) what happened in Selma. I had her read the signs and markers to take it all in, while standing quietly with her. I told her to just ask if she wasn’t sure what any of the words meant or what the significance of this place was. I don’t know if you’ve had to explain what the word “lynching” means to a child, but having to do it here was difficult. It was necessary though for her to understand what people are still fighting for. I became emotional when I saw the many tributes left at the site dedicated to the unknown slaves and soldiers. Especially when I saw the slave shoes left. It’s a horrible piece of American history, however we have to look at the horror to ensure that the past isn’t repeated.