Travels of THB: Day 4: Montgomery AL

Day 4: Montgomery AL

THB Top 20 Book of the Day: Fire Next Time, James Baldwin

Weather: Gorgeous, mid to high 60s and lovely at the outdoor concert in the evening

THB visits the fitness center for a 7 minute workout and some stretching. Damn it felt strange. To have a half hour for exercise on this trip is like a small blessing.

Two (or is it three) breakfasts. We walk a short block or two to a new coffee place; it’s moved across the street next to an old Kress department store under reconstruction. First day it’s open in new location, not a pastry to be seen. And two guys working on the glass enclosure where the pastries would normally be on display.

Kress Department Store

Day 1

No pastries, the two guys on the right are installing the glass where the pastries will be displayed

Just a half block away

Nice coffee and biscuits at Cahawba House, $10

So, a local sends us around the corner for coffee and biscuits. We order something with the coffee they normally don’t bother with, hot/steamed milk. Two biscuits with different jams, and two regular coffees (decaf appears to be unavailable), $10

On the way back we decide to look back in at the first coffee place. Why? Who knows! A local, Sarah, stops us and somehow we start up a conversation. She and her husband are the ones reconstructing the Kress department store, and of course she’s not really local, she’s from New York (she has neither a Southern or New York accent; THB would have guessed California). They are also developing the building that the first coffee place was located before moving. She’s a font of wisdom on Montgomery and has lunch and dinner tips for us. Needless to say, she’s become a Montgomery booster.

DB and BFF

Kress

During the construction, they found the old white/colored signs etched in marble: and Sarah and hubbie decide to retain them:

The holes are for the pipes connected to the water fountains

Another building DB's new BFF is upgrading

Time for our 2nd breakfast and 3rd breakfast spot: the Hampton Inn (free)

Our only symposium scheduled (i.e., paid) for the day is a panel conversation on Race, Implicit Bias, and saving our children, with a three PhD’s: Walter Gilliam, Margaret Beale Spencer, and Howard Stevenson (Bryan’s older brother). This turns out to be the best of the sessions (in THB’s opinion) though it also is pretty chaotic. Gilliam’s video doesn’t play, his presentation goes way too long, and has lots of insight, especially on very young children and teachers. Spencer cuts short her talk, and also has a few important things to say about teens. Stevenson ends up playing a lengthy recording of his having “the talk” with his eight year old son where the son is more astute and assured than dad. Then Spencer ends up doing a 15 minute “closing” that is very powerful (so she ended up getting equal time). It left THB thinking that early interventions in child development (pre-K to teens) is our only hope and that the ways to successfully support that change is unbelievable challenging.

THB is still wearing his hospital wristband from the Opening Ceremony last night (meaning he slept with it on) and added today's symposium session (in lovely teal)

Stevenson, Beale, Gilliam, left to right

somebody is signing at every event

Time to meander through Montgomery (very easy to do, it’s a compact small city with very wide streets) and we take in the Maya Lin designed Civil Rights memorial. It’s smaller than THB imagined, with a circular fountain etched with key moments in the civil rights movement, with a gap for adding a few more key moments if such were to occur. We also tour the museum; the space is shared/sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Etching in fountain is under water and thus not easy to photograph

This is the "gap" left for additional entries

Slightly different view of the gap

Inside the small museum (free for SPLC members, otherwise $2!!)

MLK church

State Capitol

Lunch is at one of Sarah’s reco’s, D’Road. Closed for a private event, so we mosey back to a historical site, Chris’ Hot Dogs, started by Greeks over a 100 years ago. We get the standard: two hot dogs with mustard and kraut, and sides of fries and onion rings, sweet ice tea and lemonade, $25.

First choice

Closed

Chris' Hot Dogs

Famous enough that many famous people have eaten here

A standard lunch, $24

Here's a place where you can "call in" and leave any story you want. Sarah told us about this one, too

Shots from around town: more famous quotes than murals or graffiti

Since we know there is a large overflow room, we head back to the symposium to take in a session on reforming criminal justice in America. The overflow security says the session room has plenty of seats so we take in a session that we didn’t buy a ticket for. Anthony Ray Hinton tells a half hour story of his 30 years of incarceration for a crime he didn’t commit (and the police and prosecution knew he didn’t commit) and how EJI and Bryan Stevenson engineered his release. Then Steve Bright, an attorney with success in front of the Supreme Court, gives a woeful overview of justice in America and Piper Kerman (Orange is the New Black) tells her story and how people of color and less means get far harsher sentences than she, white and well off, did.

Piper, Anthony, Steve (left to right). All are associated with EJI

Rest up for a bit, do some blogging, then have pizza (artichoke hearts and mushrooms) across the street at Mellow Mushroom. Nothing special, house salad, glass of wine and local brewski (very nice), $57.

Shots from around the concert:

Time for the EJI concert at an outdoor amphitheater down the street from the Hampton Inn, on the Alabama River (and trains running behind us). Grass seating (most people brought chairs); we find a spot with easy viewing of the big screen and the stage. DB talks to the guy next to her: black, 50s, newspaper editor, spent a lot of time living in Boston, definitely some inherent overt racism, cheaper cost of living, and his wife doesn’t like it much.

Pictorial Pop Quiz:

Here’s who we saw. Identify these performers.

#1. Alabama State University Choir