- October 7, 2019 Social Justice
A pilgrimage is a journey to holy ground, made holy by the lives of the people whose stories are told there. In August, 17 pilgrims traveled to Alabama to know more deeply the reality at the root of U.S. racial history.
Sister Marion Weinzapfel organized a group from Cure d’Ars Parish in Denver to visit the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, which opened in 2018. The trip was sponsored by a grant from the Sisters of St. Joseph to further promote the province focus of dismantling racism. The group included Sisters Marion, Mary Ann Figlino, and Barbara Moore as well as Associates Barbara Ann Fonda and Kate Springs.
Located on the site of a former warehouse where enslaved Black people were imprisoned, the museum educates about the legacy of racial inequality and for the truth and reconciliation that leads to real solutions to contemporary problems. The memorial is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence.
Barbara Fonda says, “Through historical pictures, video clips and even jars of sacred soil from lynching sites across the nation, we were able to more fully understand the suffering of Black Americans, and appreciate the courage of all who fought for civil rights in the midst of the vitriol of hate that was so prevalent and protected by unjust laws.”
“It became clear to me there is a direct connection that can be made from 1619 when Africans came to the Americas as indentured servants through today’s voter suppression, racial profiling and mass incarceration of people of color,” says Kate. “Systems have evolved maintaining white superiority and Black inferiority … I am heartsick, angry and awakened.”
Other stops on the pilgrimage included the Civil Rights Museum and the Southern Poverty Law Center. There, the group members had the opportunity to sign a commitment to work for racial justice. Additional highlights included prayer, soulful celebrations of liturgy, one-on-one conversations and a panel discussion with persons from the community who shared their history of involvement and the ways in which they continue to promote justice and peace.
“As CSJs and CSJAs, we frequently refer to the fact that ‘together we are more,’” says Barbara Fonda. “I found so many examples of that during this pilgrimage, but I also felt the current power of community as we learned together, prayed together and returned home exhilarated to support one another in furthering efforts in education and justice.”
“Change doesn’t happen without heart-seeing,” says Sister Marion, so her advice is to get a group and go. “Immersing ourselves into the Montgomery and Birmingham experiences is a good way to love the dear neighbor from whom we do not separate ourselves. Experiencing these sites and the explanation of truth that reframes our history is deepened by walking the walk … Never again.”