My Words: Visiting Selma was a life-changing experience
Chris McIntosh
10/15/2024
Living history and the impact it made on me…and others.
Over the course of 36 hours, I felt anger and enlightenment. I was bewildered and fulfilled. I saw tears of sorrow, frustration and joy.
I returned home emotionally spent by what I had done and seen, but eager to share my thoughts and feelings with you.
This summer, I took part in a trip, sponsored by the Big Ten Conference and entitled “Big Life Series: Selma to Montgomery.”
It was the third time the league coordinated a visit to the state of Alabama to shine a light on the civil rights movement. I was joined by four of our Wisconsin student-athletes – Carter McCray from women’s basketball, Shelby Jacobson from softball and football players Vinny Anthony and Austin Brown – as well as Monique Felix, the director of football student services, and Dr. Danielle Pulliam, our associate athletic director for leadership and inclusion.
Along with our peers from the other 17 Big Ten schools and a handful of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, we began by hearing a keynote presentation from Ms. Sheyan Webb-Christburg, who was a participant in the first Selma-to-Montgomery march.
The next day began with all of us taking part in a series of community service projects. Our group put back-to-school supplies into backpacks for local school kids. Seeing who would get those supplies might be the most powerful moment of the trip for me. It was a reminder that being seen as less fortunate doesn’t necessarily reflect your enthusiasm for life.
From there, the 140 or so participants recreated the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the infamous “Bloody Sunday” walk on March 7, 1965 during which 600 or so peaceful Black protestors were attacked, beaten and whipped by Alabama law enforcement officials.
I was struck by the cruelty of that moment, how it was reported so matter-of-factly that it was seen as just another lynching.
On one hand, I was encouraged that there’s been a lot of progress because of the bravery of a lot of people over the years. But, also, a sense of disbelief that this wasn’t that long ago. I’m just one generation removed from that mostly ugly moment in time.
We then spent time visiting the historic First Baptist Church, the Alabama Archives Museum, the Civil Rights Memorial Center and the Equal Justice Initiative. Each one had its own jarring dose of reality.
This opportunity was made possible because of the Big Ten conference and because of the kind of place that Wisconsin is – our shared interest in caring about something more than just winning games. That’s a beautiful thing."Chris McIntosh
The opportunity to make this trip and to experience it alongside four of our student-athletes and two other staff members was really impactful for me. You have different perspectives, different levels of experience, age and race. It was a diverse group in the broadest sense. To stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them, to learn about history and to experience it in that setting, was really powerful to me.
One of the hidden benefits of this trip was it allowed me to have conversations about the actual history that took place with pretty much everyone that I’ve talked to since I got back. The subject matter allowed me to hear perspectives from people who didn’t experience the trip and introduced, to me, an opportunity to discuss our country’s history. It’s also given me a greater appreciation of what was done, what people went through, the losses that were suffered, the bravery, the leadership and the sacrifices that were made to get us to where we are.
This opportunity was made possible because of the Big Ten conference and because of the kind of place that Wisconsin is – our shared interest in caring about something more than just winning games. That’s a beautiful thing.
It’s not lost on me that we’re really fortunate given our membership in the Big Ten and the people that care about it. The opportunity, on a face-to-face basis, to hear from people who were active participants in history is priceless, the value of which can’t be measured. Living history.
It was uplifting for all of us to see how important this trip is to the people who live there. We were welcomed with open arms and invited into their community. They clearly appreciated that someone cared enough to make this kind of effort.
Before the trip, I came across a documentary on the civil rights movement entitled “Eyes on the Prize.” It provided me with a lens that wasn’t just focused on just Selma – from Rosa Parks to Bull Connor to lunch counter sit-ins to the Freedom Riders to George Wallace – and gave me insights into how all these other events led up to Bloody Sunday.
I keep coming back to the same word to describe the overall experience: Powerful.
I know that it’s changed me forever.
