Sometimes people completely relax and let loose for their spring breaks. For mine, I took an “education vacation,” as one of my friends Debbie calls it.

Seven months’ worth of planning led to MUNDO’s spring break 2018 experience! This was my first time partaking in extensively planning a trip. Our action team had a great deal of autonomy over the itinerary and creating an agenda that answered our big questions of the year and addressed major themes and issues. Julius and our other staff mentors guided us! For most of us, this was our first time being on an Action Team too, except for Danny, our current President. We had a few mandatory events to attend before people could go on this trip.

 

In total, 22 students participated in the experience, four of whom were part of the ACTION Team (Melinda, Celine, Danny, Nick) and along came three staff mentors (Julius, Ana, and Alex), for a total of 25 people in our group. One person on the ACTION team could not attend the experience.

MUNDO explored three of the most dynamic cities in the Southern region of the United States in order to take a powerful look at just how far the United States has come in terms of race relations, Civil Rights, and social justice in this part of the country.

We encouraged students to think about the following questions:
● Do boycotts work? (Are they freedom of speech?)
● What do we do when people refuse to admit that they are wrong?
● What is freedom?
● What is automatic citizenship?

Julius also provided an Insider’s Guide packet about the experience and what to expect. He wrote that in the South, conversations may be more in-depth than just “How are you?” Activities begin and end at flexible times, as things appear to be less structured in the South. People don’t have urgent needs to be somewhere. He also wrote that there may be an emphasis on saying hello, good morning, and good evening to people who we pass by on the street.

Saturday, March 10th, 2018 – “Orientation”

“There is no such force in the world as the force of a person determined to rise. The human soul cannot be permanently chained.” – W.E.B. DuBois

I stayed up the entire day and night until the spring break experience participants boarded the Cardinal bus at 3:15 AM. Coincidentally, Buck-i-Serv was at the same stop as us and we waited together. A few of our participants actually initially boarded the wrong bus (the Buck-i-Serv bus!).  By 4 AM, we were all on the road! Around 11 AM, we stopped in Jackson, TN for food. I already noticed a difference in the types of trees that dotted the lengths of the highways.

1:30 PM – MUNDO arrived at our hotel in Memphis and we unpacked. We all took a short respite. People were sleeping three to a room, which was comfortable; one person had to sleep on the pull-out bed from the couch.

3 PM – 4:30 PM – Walking and Bus Tour with Sweet Magnolia Tours
We first boarded the bus and our tour guide, Dick, provided us some facts and background on Memphis. We went to Big River Crossing, where we viewed the river and saw the intersection of Tennessee and Alabama!
A pastel blue truck, a tad smaller than the size of an ice cream truck, was parked in the lot where our bus was. I was extremely compelled to purchase a Mempop, a popsicle full of flavor; mine was mint lemonade, which was tasty. In hindsight, I would have chosen pineapple coconut or another flavor. Mempops are local, hand crafted, all natural pops (www.mempops.com).

4:30 PM – We strolled into the Peabody Hotel and made our way to the second level. A popular tourist attraction are the Peabody Ducks; five North American mallards arrive and leave the hotel fountain, a grand procession complete with red carpet, official introduction, and visiting paparazzi. This event is open to the public and occurs at 11 AM and 5 PM each day. Due to the amount of people, I could barely see what happened, but it was still pleasant to be in a nice hotel.

My friend group walked around, looking at art murals displayed along the streets, until we reached “99 cent Soul Food Express,” which is a great restaurant!

Not everything at the establishment is 99 cents, but most of the sides are, and the rest of the food is all incredibly affordable. I was very impressed with the restaurant. Here, you will find chicken, mac and cheese, greens, corn bread, peach cobbler, and other foods. (99centsoulfoodexpress.com/)

We then walked to Beale Street, a lively street bursting with color (especially blues, purples, and greens) and music. People were all over the street, which was closed down for foot traffic. We simply walked around, listening to bands playing.

Beale Street runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, which is about 1.8 miles, and this street is a significant place in Memphis history and blues history. Festivals and outdoor concerts occur from time to time (Wikipedia).

Reflection Questions:
1. What do you know about Memphis? What was one thing you learned today?
I know nothing about Memphis except for it being in Tennessee! I have limited knowledge of the South, and have never been to this state. While I was aware that there were strong roots to music, I could not recall specifics prior the trip. I also learned that there was a strong cotton growing industry here in Memphis! Mules would be used for labor to pull barges.

2. What are you expecting the South to be like compared to the Midwest?
Coming to the South, I expect people I encounter to be more racist than the Midwest. Based on what I have learned about in school and heard online, the Southern states have poorer education than other states. People are more likely to live in poverty in the lower states. Because of the various conditions of the South, especially its history, I have felt a tinge of nervousness thinking about how I would be treated by the Southerners.

3. What is something you are eager to learn about or see on this trip?
I am eager to experience new cultures and taste authentic Southern food! Having never traveled to the South, there is much to see and do.

Sunday, March 11th, 2018 – Getting Started
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

7 AM – I woke up and went downstairs to get breakfast, which was buffet style. After eating scrambled eggs, sausage, and a biscuit, and drinking milk, I prepared myself hot cocoa to stay awake.

8:30 AM – The group walked over to the Lorraine Motel, which is now the National Civil Rights Museum (450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103). This is a powerful place to visit, and I learned so much from the museum, which details history of civil rights from the 17th century to present day.

Being in Memphis is also particularly special because this year, 2018, marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. It was so surreal to be standing in front of the motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. A young man, perhaps college-age like us, talked to us about how the museum came to be. He asked us what a sculpture in the lobby meant, and we realized that the bronze artwork depicted African people scrambling over each other, and they were placed in a shape to resemble the United States of America. None of the people had made it to the top. This was symbolic and means that African people, to this day, are experiencing struggles and have not ‘reached the mountaintop.’ We had a self-guided tour of the museum, which began with slavery, and then transported us through time. We learned about topics such as inequality in jobs, education, service, and more. There were exhibits on the Freedom Riders, Rosa Parks, and more.
For more information: http://www.memphistravel.com/mlk50-where-do-we-go-here

Overall, the experience was unbelievable because of how much my knowledge of American history and the Civil Rights Movement expanded. Every year during elementary/middle school, my media arts/library teacher would spend several lessons on Dr. King and play the same films, such as Our Friend, Martin. I am now understanding more of the importance behind that. I learned more from the museum about the narrative of the Civil Rights Movement, including details of people I did not know were involved with the movement!

12:30 PM – After the informational and insightful museum, which has two parts to it, two friends and I went to Central BBQ, just two minutes from the museum! I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the restaurant. I wanted to see what Memphis BBQ was all about; my meal consisted of sweet tea, a pulled pork sandwich, and mac and cheese. My friends bought similar meals, but one had potato salad while the other had baked beans, and we shared the sides with one another. This meal was so filling, that I did not eat until eight hours later.

2 PM – We took a self-guided tour of the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum (191 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103). This tour, which is conducted by slipping on headphones that the museum provided, and pressing in the number listed for each specific exhibit, complemented my knowledge of blues and rock music from a class called “Roots of Rock & Soul” that I took at Cleveland State University during eleventh grade. I enjoyed seeing how rock was formed, and other contributions to music made by African-Americans. Out of the numerous artifacts, my favorite was a jukebox that had swirling, changing colors.

7 PM – For dinner, a group of 14 of us went to Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken! They have multiple locations around the United States, but are most concentrated in the Southern states. After walking for perhaps 20 minutes and then waiting in line for 40 minutes, we were seated! It was worth the wait. The restaurant is quirky and cozy, with chicken-related paraphernalia around the room, on the walls, tucked into corners by the ceiling, and by the cash register. Our server was so friendly and funny; she will be going to med school later this year! She wondered how we all knew each other. It was a great way to wrap up our time in Memphis. The food was good, and the chicken slightly spicy, which can be fixed by drinking water. I would have opted for more sweet tea, but that is loaded with sugar.

Reflection Question:
How does music tell stories and shape the world around us?
Music tells stories of hardship and gives people an outlet when they do not have other options to confront their problems. Songs can be like narratives of people’s lives. Music is a part of art and unites people; it can inspire people as well. To me, music is universal; even if a song is in a language I do not understand, I can still appreciate it. To some people, including myself, music is important to our lives and speaks volumes.

Monday, March 12th, 2018 – Journey to the Crescent City

“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.” – Thurgood Marshall

8:30 AM – Breakfast

9 AM – My two friends and I depart to see art murals around the area. We see some murals as well as walk down South Main Street for two miles. Many shops either did not open until 11 AM or were not open Mondays at all, so it was very quiet. To get back to the hotel, we took a trolley! It normally costs $1 per person per one-way trip, but the driver was kind and let us ride the trolley for free.

10:30 AM – We went back to the hotel and I researched courses to enroll in for Autumn 2018. I scrambled to pack.

11:45 AM – MUNDO members boarded the bus to prepare for the journey to New Orleans! We discussed with our bus buddies what we thought about Memphis compared to our expectations. Other questions our program coordinator Julius asked were, “Does civil disobedience work?” and “What do you think Memphis will be like compared to New Orleans?” While on the bus, I read over a hundred pages of a book for my Violence class.

7 PM – We arrived in New Orleans (NOLA!) and settled into our rooms. The hotel was in a great location to restaurants and stores. We were a 20-30 min walk from the French Quarter, but this was not bad at all. I was so pleased of our proximity as well as the general layout of the city. With the food we were eating, it was a tradeoff to have our hotel distanced away from all the action.

8 PM – Deciding where to go for dinner, I searched for “cheap eats, New Orleans” in the Google search engine. Others went to Flamingo a-Go-Go, while I suggested Barcadia, a restaurant and bar that also has arcade machines and board games, including a giant human-sized Connect Four. I tried jambalaya and fried oreos for the first time here. (barcadianeworleans.com/)

10 PM – Four friends and I watched Princess and the Frog, a wonderful, whimsical Disney movie that provided us some New Orleans scenery. The movie also helped encourage us to be even more excited than we already were for our adventures. It served as a precursor for certain topics we would cover over the next few days: voodoo, jazz music, a swamp tour, and beignets, among others.

Reflection Questions:
1. What do you know about the cultural diversity of New Orleans?
2. What makes New Orleans unique?

Tuesday, March 13th, 2018 – Orientation for New Orleans

“It is impossible to struggle for civil rights, equal rights for blacks, without including whites. Because equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like the air – we all have it, or none of us has it. That is the truth of it.” – Maya Angelou

7 AM – Breakfast

8:15 AM – We met in the lobby to depart as a group to walk to Jackson Square, dedicated to President Andrew Jackson. There is plenty of green space to sprawl on and nap. People were taking photos by the pretty flowers and bushes, in front of the fountain, and in front of the massive St. Louis Cathedral.

9 AM – 11:30 AM – We engaged in a walking tour of this section of New Orleans and received a gracious introduction to the Crescent City. Our guide is a native of NOLA and was extremely knowledgeable. She wants to go back to school to get a degree in Social Work. She told us about the general layout of the city and how to get around. For example, Street names are pronounced like how they look. I learned so much of the history and how NOLA’s administration has switched hands so many times.

11:30 AM – 1 PM – The French Market is a historic market area with over three centuries of history, and is six blocks long. This market includes restaurants, stores, snacks, and souvenirs a-plenty. This is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. I tried a New Orleans-style burger, called a N’awlins Burger, at one of the stands. I also explored the flea market/artisan section nearby. I was amazed at all the items offered: Caribbean-style maxi dresses, golden trinkets, typical New Orleans tourist clothing and hats, purses, bracelets, and more.

2:45 PM – We took a swamp tour with Cajun Encounters, in Slidell, LA. I suggest dressing warmly in layers for the tour; as the boat speeded on the waters, the wind made it really chilly. I kept on my winter coat, and shielded myself from the incoming water drops that sprayed on me. Since I sat at one end of the boat, opposite from the captain, I got most of the water on me. Still, the swamp tour was one of my favorite parts of the entire spring break trip. The captain was humorous and amicable; he provided facts about alligators and told jokes.

9 PM – MUNDO had a group late night snack at Café Du Monde!

Bourbon Street is in the French Quarter, and a street full of restaurants and bars – 13 blocks’ worth. It is primarily for those over age 21.  I still walked this street with my friends to see what it was like. People danced in the street and onlookers from above on the balconies or galleries would throw bead necklaces to people on the ground if their dancing was good. Music permeates the air.

Wednesday, March 14th, 2018 – “Ghosts, Vampires, Voodoo, Oh My!”

“Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.” – Coretta Scott King

9 AM – On Wednesday, the halfway point of our experience, the group served at the Sculpture Gardens (1 Collins Diboll Cir, New Orleans, LA). Many assisted with weeding around the pond.

 

12:45 – After lunch in the French Quarter, we gathered to go on a Voodoo Tour, offered by Free Tours on Foot. Our guide, Michelle, was great and we learned a lot from her. She practices voodoo. She first took us to Armstrong Park to inform us of the history of the area. I enjoyed most her stories about a voodoo priestess, Madame Laveau! The tour helped dispel common myths regarding voodoo.

7 PM – We had free time until the Ghosts Tour. We met at St. Louis Cathedral’s front steps, and our guide Elizabeth shared several stories as we visited locations around the French Quarter.

Thursday, March 15th, 2018 – “Plantation and Presbytere”

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

This day could have been summarized by the 3 P’s: Plantation, Presbytere, and Praline Connection.

8:45 AM – We met in the lobby to leave for the plantation. In the morning, MUNDO visited Whitney Plantation, the only plantation museum in the state of Louisiana that emphasizes slavery (other plantations focused on the architecture of buildings or other aspects of slavery, instead of the people that suffered from this atrocity). The Whitney was originally known as the Habitation Haydel, after the Haydel family of German immigrants who owned the plantation and the slaves. It was only in 2014, a few years ago, that this place opened, and since then, the public has explored its 262 years of history and suffering. Some original buildings were restored, like a church and slave quarters. The master’s mansion was massive and we were able to walk around inside that as well; the furniture inside was preserved. I learned a great amount of information from this trip, and this site will remain in my memory for a long time. Our tour guide was extremely passionate and vocal about the truths of slavery. Slavery should be a part of American history that is never forgotten.

* The term “enslaved peoples” is more humane than “slaves.” These were people too, yet were not treated as such.

2 PM – During lunch, I bought a crepe from a crepe cart in the French Market. It was delicious!

2:45 PM – For the Presbytere museum (751 Chartres St., Jackson Square, NOLA, 70116), we had self-guided tours. Admission to this museum is very cheap! The first floor covers Hurricane Katrina whereas the rest of the museum showcases a vast array of elaborate and exquisite Mardi Gras artifacts. The collections show how Mardi Gras began as a tradition in NOLA, from its ancient origins to the 19th century parades and balls in the city to what the tradition is like today. Millions of visitors come to New Orleans each year just to witness the spectacular festivities.

After the museum, we again had free time. My friends and I remained in the area because we did not want to return to the hotel that was 20-30 minutes away.

6 PM – Dinner was on MUNDO; the 25 of us ate at the Praline Connection (542 Frenchmen St., New Orleans, LA 70116), and we are thankful for the delicious meals.

Reflection Question:
How do the places we visited today connect to our trip themes of citizenship, legacies of the south, and ‘what is freedom?’

Friday, March 16th, 2018 – “Exploration of the Big Easy”

“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” – Malcolm X

Today was a free day for participants to check out whatever they wanted and go to places that they did not get to yet. After packing up our belongings to store for the day, we embarked on our own. Some went to the library to do work, while my friend Eliza and I first went back to the French Quarter for more boutique-shopping before studying. We stopped in a book store, which was dusty but filled with many books; the third floor/attic had records! It was a humid day, but I wore a thick dress and carried a heavy backpack around, which made me feel hotter than the 70 degree temperature. I did not buy anything at the stores, but I enjoyed exploring and seeing what wares people were selling. If I had the money to splurge, I would buy a $200 dress that was made in Italy, or indulge in luxury soaps.

My afternoon was spent in a Starbucks on Canal Street, sipping a Pink Drink and reading a huge chunk of a book for my sociology class on Violence. This Starbucks was similar to Starbucks back in Ohio, so no dramatic difference. In the evening, I worked on applying for MUNDO’s ODNUM, which is our executive board. Café Envie (www.cafeenvie.com) is open late, so it was a perfect spot for getting work done. It was courtesy to purchase something if you stay there, so I got tea. I continued to read a book for my Violence class. For dinner, I came across a Vietnamese restaurant called Nine Roses (ninerosesrestaurant.com/). The menu on the wall outside provided a vast array of options; many dishes were familiar to me, because of my mother’s upbringing in Vietnam. Therefore, I ordered my favorite dish that my mom makes: vermicelli with egg rolls. While Nine Roses’ vermicelli was delicious, I still favor my mother’s version. We returned to the café to finish doing work, and I purchased milk. The barista was very friendly. A mini St. Patrick’s Day parade went by on the street; people tossed necklaces and flowers. It was a new sight for me to see the floats and people on bikes. Some people on the bikes had paper-mache animals At midnight, when the café closed, Eliza and I made the return to the hotel. Some of our peers were sleeping in the common area, and some were on their laptops. We all had good days and sleepily boarded the bus.

Saturday, March 17th, 2018 – “Bringing it to Birmingham”

“The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” – Rosa Parks

Leaving a bit after midnight for Birmingham, everyone in MUNDO was weary. We arrived in the Magic City around 6:30 am, with some time for breakfast and a quick nap. I was amazed that some of my peers could sleep on a floor. I could not nap, but still shut my eyes for a brief period.

10 AM – We had a tour of the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four young girls were killed by a bomb placed by a Ku Klux Klan member in 1963. It was chilling to be in that church. We sat through a documentary of the church’s origins and how the church and Birmingham community reacted and persevered in spite of a horrible hate crime. This site was so powerful, and I cannot believe that the church is still operating! People still attend its services and the church stands strong today.

11 AM – We had free time around the Kelly Ingram Park area. The park itself has been a place where numerous historic events happened. Children protested by the thousands, and hundreds of them were arrested. It is unimaginable that youth protested and were so brave enough to be jailed in order to fight for rights. If I were in a similar situation, I am sure that I would not have been the one on the frontlines; I am so introverted that I would only be able to provide support behind-the-scenes. It just amazes me at the bravery of children from the past, and children today. Often, children’s roles in movements are neglected or barely mentioned, but they certainly played a part in the Civil Rights Movement.

I do not know why I became emotional when my friends and I were exploring the park and encountered a grandmother with her three granddaughters. They were looking at sculptures at the park. The oldest granddaughter was around 7 or 8 and could perfectly read the inscription on a sculpture. It is crucial to teach youth about history; the earlier, the better. I may have gotten emotional because I was touched by what the grandmother was doing, and at how bright and brilliant the granddaughters were.

1 PM – We had a self-guided tour of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (https://www.bcri.org/), another phenomenal museum. The facility has a Human Rights gallery, Movement gallery, Confrontation gallery, and Barriers gallery. It provided me with even more information about the Civil Rights Movement and its timeline. Near the end of my time here, I found a station of computers/kiosks where I could watch previous visitors’ clips of them answering questions. The question I chose to answer and record for other people to hear was “Describe a time when you stood up for something.” I disclosed my past history of enduring racism, sexual harassment, and other experiences, and how I have learned to speak up for myself and speak out against injustices. I mentioned how the Internet is a platform for my voice and reaching an audience; I specifically use Facebook. I highly recommend this museum/institute for anyone going to the South.

My friend Kayla and I were lost walking back to our hotel, but we eventually found our way. (We asked Eliza for the address after another peer gave us the wrong address.) Kayla and I had a wonderful conversation the walk back. We processed parts of the spring break trip that resonated with us the most, and how our different identities influenced how we are. One of her majors is Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, while I have that study as one of my minors. Our conversation was aided by concepts we have learned about in WGSS.

Through trial and error, we made it to Residence Inn. I rested momentarily before meeting the ACTION Team in the lobby. To me, Birmingham was quiet compared to other cities we have been to. I also was cat-called while I was walking with Kayla, and sexual harassment is pervasive everywhere. I am unsure if it happens more often in the South, because the weather is warmer and because there tends to be less education there.

6 PM – For our ACTION Team Dinner, we walked a short 10 minutes to Jim ‘n’ Nick’s BBQ (https://www.jimnnicks.com/). I did not try any BBQ here, but got a sandwich and fruit instead to try to be healthy. There, we discussed highs and lows of the trip, and what people have told us in terms of what we can improve. One ACTION Team Member brought up that several people had mentioned suggestions to them, and I got the feeling that people could not approach me to discuss issues, for whatever reason. Looking back on this experience, I would have talked more with other participants. I did get to befriend some people, but there were a handful that I did not hold full conversations with. If I was more proactive about meeting people, perhaps that would have increased group unity. Nevertheless, people seemed to enjoy the experience. People commented on how much they learned and how they were able to talk to others about their life experiences, and how the trip has helped them frame their experiences.

Sunday, March 18th, 2018 – “Back to Buckeye Country”

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker

We spent the day traveling from the South back up North. My time on the bus was spent reading, except for the times when I engaged in conversations with friends. We chatted for hours about race and ethnicity still, and it was great that even after the experience, we shared ideas and experiences and connected them with broader sociology forces and historical contexts. There was a stop in Elizabethtown, Kentucky for lunch and I tried Culver’s for the first time. We were back at OSU around 6:30-7 pm, and I was saddened to have had the experience end, but it was time to resume academics. However, I did not try any grits while down South, so I need to return sometime to do so.

Attached is a PowerPoint for readers to view!
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aRMV2xlRi0Xd87eZXzrTceQYXmThMExxubWBG-j3Kq4/edit#slide=id.p

I hope to continue engaging in experiences like this one, where it was eye-opening and enlightening. I believe I personally developed because I gained greater knowledge about American history and social justice. I found myself slowly becoming more comfortable with having discussions regarding difficult topics like racism. For 2018-2019, it is a goal of mine to plan, and participate in, at least one of MUNDO’s alternative break experiences.

We all have the power in each of us to make change. We can get discouraged, but we must never quit pursuing what we believe is right and just.