Equality: Free at Last! Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and, therefore, brothers.† Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached this to his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church. I found this to be true on a trip I took to the Deep South with a group I am in called Operation Understanding Hampton Roads. OUHR promotes the interaction between Jewish and African American students in order to learn about each others cultures. In the Deep South, my OUHR group visited several cities which were significant to the civil rights movement, such as Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham, and Atlanta. Since I have grown up in a racially tolerant house, I felt I had nothing to gain from the trip besides an enjoyably week with my new OUHR friends. Much to my surprise, it was in these cities where I learned the true meaning of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words. It is important to be a participant in life rather than a bystander hel d fast by prejudice and convention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The city that changed my perspective the most was Birmingham, Alabama. Our tour guide showed me the light. We arrived in Birmingham in the pouring rain and stopped in front of an old church on 16th street. Suddenly, a very warm and hearty woman’s voice rang over the speaker in the bus; â€Å"Aight boo’s, er’rybody best get off this bus befo’ I start crackin’ em!† This was my first glimpse of Joanne Bland. She lined my group up on the stairs to what we soo... Equality: Free at Last! Essay -- essays research papers â€Å"The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and, therefore, brothers.† Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached this to his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church. I found this to be true on a trip I took to the Deep South with a group I am in called Operation Understanding Hampton Roads. OUHR promotes the interaction between Jewish and African American students in order to learn about each others cultures. In the Deep South, my OUHR group visited several cities which were significant to the civil rights movement, such as Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham, and Atlanta. Since I have grown up in a racially tolerant house, I felt I had nothing to gain from the trip besides an enjoyably week with my new OUHR friends. Much to my surprise, it was in these cities where I learned the true meaning of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words. It is important to be a participant in life rather than a bystander hel d fast by prejudice and convention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The city that changed my perspective the most was Birmingham, Alabama. Our tour guide showed me the light. We arrived in Birmingham in the pouring rain and stopped in front of an old church on 16th street. Suddenly, a very warm and hearty woman’s voice rang over the speaker in the bus; â€Å"Aight boo’s, er’rybody best get off this bus befo’ I start crackin’ em!† This was my first glimpse of Joanne Bland. She lined my group up on the stairs to what we soo...