Charles Sherrod

While on my civil rights tour I met Reverend Charles Sherrod. He was a key civil rights activist. This youtube video is Sherrod explaining slavery and civil rights.

Don't Drink The Water

Dave Matthews Band began playing small gigs in Charlottesville Virginia in 1991. They mostly filled the ears of the frat boys from the University of Virginia. Now DMB is loved worldwide. Dave Matthews and his band members not only create great music, but they music that touches on politics and other issues. In 2008 he held a concert called "Change Rocks" at Indiana University. This concert was to encourage students to vote. Dave Matthews also supports environmental issues and the use of biofuel. Dave Matthews has not had it easy in life. In 1994, Dave's sister was murdered by her husband who after committed suicide. They left a son behind who later I attended school with and am still close friends with. Dave wrote a song referencing this tragedy called "Shotgun".

Civil Rights Tour Part II

The tour through the south that follows the civil rights movement (more or less) has been great. However, the participants were as expected:white, wealthy, and well educated. Besides on other student from American University, I was the only person under 30 on this trip. The irony of this trip is overflowing; The fact that a group of elite whites are paying money to study the civil rights with Julian Bond is crazy to me. I ask myself, "Why do we think we have the right to meet these famous civil rights activist?" I understand that white people as a whole need to learn more about this problem, but it just strikes me as strange. One experience I had that made me feel embarrassed to be white was when our bus got stuck in a ditch. A group of older white women began to sing "We shall overcome" as a joke regarding our bus being stuck. It is extremely rude to compare our problem of overcoming our bus problems to the civil rights movement. These women were not seriously comparing the two problems but it still was offensive to me. I am a very pessimistic white person when it comes to the civil rights. I am ashamed that my ancestors oppressed a group of people by the color of their skin.

My Tour Guide - Julian Bond!!

This interview was in 1967 about Julian Bond's anit-Vietnam war views.