of Montgomery Academy and I will be attending Tuskegee University in the fall to major in political

felt being one of the only black people in my predominantly white school

I was the only black girl in my grade from kindergarten up until ninth grade and that produces a lot of

throughout my elementary and middle school years because it's

with nobody who looks like you and barely who anybody thinks like

having to explain a lot of your culture and all that type of thing like I remember in

my first perm I'm natural now but when I was in kindergarten I got a perm

told my mom that I want my hair to be straight like the girls in my grade because I thought that straight hair was the

beauty and then in seventh grade and a middle school

group I guess in school because that's when Middle School is when

to vocalize what they're learning at home and what they

and I was vocalizing the black lives matter movement while people around

want to speak on any of that I didn't they just they were just acting like or they didn't know

was going on in the major world like Trayvon Martin died when I was in sixth grade

Snapchat and that's how the thing people would always just take offense to it and at school

my shoes and over social media have to get him he's arguing mattress with the people in my grade

a terrorist organization or that the phrase Mentone Lee black lives matter and they

know people are killing people who look like me and there's not okay and they're killing

like me and that's not okay so from sixth grade on I was

the activist in my grade or the you don't want to argue with

down from you and not a type of thing so moving forward into 10th

founded as a segregation Academy meant to keep segregation alive and profession and

against the Brown versus Board decision so I started challenging

black students in the school more and make

us because we were there but there wasn't really a safe space meme for us

could go and actually talk about what we might overhear in classroom or have a conversation

of our classmates about her and that type of thing and feeling uncomfortable all the time with

except for the lunchroom when we would all sit together like we had a black kid quote unquote lunch

act like you 24/7 a day being able to come sit at a lunch table with

look like you and automatically get everything that you're saying where you don't have to explain why you're

doing your hair last night is refreshing everybody needs that 20-30 minutes in the day she just

themselves fully and take a break from having that mask on that private school in Montgomery

space for black kids like I led the Black History Month assembly from 10th to

a club meant to be a safe space for not only black kids but also minority kids in

that type of thing and this past year we had the biggest

our who transformed our theater into a museum and it had four major sections

a walkthrough museum for the last week of February for that whole

and out of the theater in our free periods before school after school wherever we can find

and when I say we I mean the black kids at the school were always working the

we were in cuz it was from all the way from 7th grade to 12th grade helping

and it got the attention of media of throughout the city and it felt like

in our culture was be appreciated and not appropriated and

moving forward I've graduated or Kobe head and school got out

the recent death of George Floyd a matar Bree Brianna Taylor and so many more

black person in America I decided that I really wanted to take the

a damn a and translate it to a bigger scene so I'll plan a protest with the help of candida

at protest that we March from the from the Legacy Museum

more the protest to be Truth and Reconciliation by members of the community here really come up and speak their

how they feel about our city state and nation and say what

a very powerful tool when it comes to getting Justice and having forgiveness in the community and

make that growth but the truth has to come out first and when I say the truth I don't

I mean the truth is that is going to hit you in your soul and make you think and make you feel

the persons in the most candid ways whether that's you

using a form that is a part of your truth and nobody should be able to tell you I put restrictions

you say your truth and I really wanted that to be the biggest the biggest

we had a Reconciliation which was we invited a lot of whatever they're

a lot of councilmen and a lot of city and state officials out to the

of them were in the they were in the crowd but they weren't I'm

didn't want their presents to be known we also had the n-double-acp and Poor People's campaign

the city directly it was really beautiful to see people finally get their

until they were able to be heard and then after the protests we didn't want the frame to die

the way we matter Montgomery as an organization where filing be a 501 c 3

the voice of the youth because I found that in our city young people know what's

our city but we don't know how to a vote that change and it's hard to get people to

Montgomery is a way to unify that voice indirectly take it to the sort to the

the changes that we want to see so right now in my organization we're

a youth Council to be put on the Montgomery Public School Board and we are

a voting activist on a voter registration and turnout campaign in the

the summary of my story is that if you see a change

change that you want to see if you see a place where that isn't right

ways to fix it don't just come to the table complaining and not have any recommended

because that's taking two steps forward and five steps back in that gives it room to be put on the back burner

like this in this is how I think we should fix it they can't put on the back burner and they cannot ignore you because

a plan and I'm just very grateful to have met the people that I've met in the past couple months

in Montgomery Alabama in 1950 and by the time I was five or six years old

for by two black women almost all the time along with that sister

about the civil rights movement and I also was aware of the effects of racism

was aware of the colored and white signs on public

that the only way that Maddie could take my friends and me on a picnic all of her own

a white nurse's uniform there was a man who worked for my family

the front yard talking to him while he worked at a car full of white

racial epithets of him I would sit in the kitchen with Maddie and now and

dr. Martin Luther King and others speak to

in Montgomery about the bus boycott my mother

Maddie Marie Thomas is she would pay for taxi fare she did not want

any physical danger being on the bus and she understood that Maddie wanted to be part of that

any racist remarks from my parents never hearing the n-word in our household

disadvantaged in the society at the same time around the age of

learned about the Holocaust from a book at my best friend's house

the pictures of these people dying or dead and ask her what they

Jews and they were treated that way because they were Jews so I identified with

to be black so that I could go with Maddie and now to their Church

the marches when I was 15 my boyfriend who later became my husband

speed reading course at the YMCA and the man who can't who did the

no notice of three young black man who would come in to take the

the class started in about 5 minutes into the class the man who is head of this particular Branch

these men boys and tell them to come with him and they didn't come back course

at went home and told my parents my father called the director of the YMCA

my father if I would be happy if a similar course were taught at what then

that the one branch that served young black boys in Montgomery and I

the course so my boyfriend and I didn't we dropped out of that course I have lots more

electric blue yonder from Montgomery Alabama we wanted to share one of her songs with you today it's called Bluster

times we live in that goes out to anyone who suffering or has lost loved ones right now

that people don't live on in our memories but in our actions and how we choose to live our lives so

flying we love you and stay safe out there take

Madison Park neighborhood on the north side of Alabama Madison part of the community that was set up by former

up so that they did not have to leave the neighborhood if you wanted to now the former School

cultivated to produce Goods such as fruits vegetables.

this neighborhood is that after all this time after all the lies and

his people you have people that whole family have been there the whole life I got people like me

I'm apart of the family I'm a part of you know the origin at Madison Park that's the part of the

of the way from the city part of Montgomery however it's so rich in culture

love we still need to come by and visit at the first person you see the key

on kids on my story is that love life and passion is what gets me

movie how do you spell love and I do this out of the heart that I have that was given unto me by the

this message may be able to relate in if you're going through anyting a great

a veggie that you can pee you're not in here to please anybody but of hold yourself to your

name is Bernice McCoy Once Upon a Time work at H&M green when I first got out of high school

there were not any Walmart at the time ATM Greencrest this

a Walmart we also had newberry's we had many

no other places to go so this is when we went to shop for mostly everything that

history and I really wanted to come to a deeper understanding about the Civil Rights Movement I

Montgomery especially looking at the wall of Martyrs is it really made me realize grapple with how

inflicted upon the peaceful protesters and how hard people fought for the right to vote

made me develop a deeper appreciation for the rights I have it also

violent is still being inflicted and there's a lot of work to be done so that the deaths of these

to step foot into places and walk the miles ever walked by

to go the extra mile to secure the rights that they deserve it was really phenomenal

that every day we responsibility to keep it going

being in Montgomery very cool being in spaces that are occupied by an artist as an extra

on biting at 5 but we have to keep on supporting the people in those areas that

local businesses local local people local entrepreneurs is another

Tulsa before they wiped out they were prominent black

a Black Sabbath album The Montgomery Mall with the some Christmas money that I had in

hotdogs when it seemed like it was the only thing open downtown it says it's a beautiful

complicated Place thankful to continue to know

my name is a gasket teachers I'm one of the owners of Chris's hotdogs and

my grandfather Chris Anastasia contagious

was a great camera came through Ellis Island settled here Montgomery started stand with

the hot dogs and brought the hot dogs here to Montgomery in here to Alabama

here on Dexter Avenue and he served president after you already came through here

on the train and then every time he came through Montgomery you get supporters about the box of hot dogs deliver

Hank Williams was in regular customer started coming when he was probably 13 14 years old

a kid to get too hot dogs and chocolate milk and Elder all the rumors were here

too hot dogs or hot dog guy shot and a beer and then he was

napkins and Ride lyrics some napkins in the restroom I also remember that he wrote a good looking

would end up with too much spirit in them and so we tell everybody to the last place stuff and Williams out

orders for George Wallace for George Wallace for one of his parties

to town to the catering order for him I want security guards steady watch to make 7 hot dogs at

on my big ass order was in 2016 wake cater the commissioning of the USS

an extra hundred for the Navy for the sale of the sailors on the boat gave it to them

we're about a block away from where Rosa Parks work and she would come

the Martin Luther King's church about Tupac's up the hill toward the capital and

Sunday and get the Sunday papers to Atlanta Constitution New York

a big sign the papers and he didn't come in on Sunday my grandfather would save them for him for when he came back in town

good friends and they talk about the problems they both had with the KKK

and blue red black and white red and green as long as you want his grain your friend of mine

cash register. I don't really care who you slept with who you voted for as long as you have green vaccine pockets all it really

one reason we have four hundred years to years leave all the politics alone and said

your customers on my walls you want to see any Auburn Alabama football memorabilia

reservation times for always allowed to come to the front door so

the restaurant that came through and where the hell were the nature stand was for the cash register and I stopped

the pet they gave him to go but that was not my choice my grandfather got threatened by the

5 kids and going to try to stay out of everybody everything and just do whatever could just keep his business going

the rare places on Market on Dexter Avenue that blacks come to the front door at that time

next street over Monroe with a black straight so a lot of businesses that were on

be on Dexter in the blockage would be on Monroe we would always lock the front door of my

tell the story to my customers at finish it up now where now I'm served to you

a couple more stories they would they met my gun Country Club in Montgomery and but then they would

many times they come here come to Chris's hotdogs for food late night

my name is Daniel Jenkins I grew up in Montgomery and throughout School

to a different place it makes you see the bigger bigger picture you see the harsh

you a sense of freedom it gives you the capability to be at peace because

the change that has happened although we still have a long way to go

at Chris's for 30 years I raise five kids in 05 my kids where he had

a lady name is Ruth Egan he curses and she taught me a lot she

told me that she told me Sylvia you learn everything you can cuz one

might come back to you and it did I will get the pack for 25 years

the front and I will definitely 12 years and I gotta be the manager of that

cook for their computers for the telephone company

cook for Weber's for you to four the water company we did all the cooking

cooking music come to work at 3 in the morning and where can we get all the

raise five kids here at crested Miss rooster me a lot she told me how

of the leadership of Miss Riley was nice to me too and then I wake

till they close Christmas down then I went back they called me back to work

a beer and maybe it was a nice person I really enjoy working

he did teach me that but he really help me out a lot things that I ask him to do

he did it if he ask me to do stuff for him I used to cook for him I used to do a lot of stuff

God that I was able to learn and do a lot and this story is

a lady named Eli Gordon have a good David Dickerson and I wake with a lady named Helen

together we used to help each other out if I'm late doing some she'll come down and help me

each other and one day she called me she said I'm working at another job now but the folks don't do

yours so you just get that in mind everybody is not like Sylvia do you like call

this is Sylvia story when I started with necrosis the latest there black people to

there they had to eat on Monroe speak and then the lady three of the

hold your hands together and it won't let the Broncos eat there then all of a sudden a

his neighbor mr. farmer Farmer told him to go to work leave me

me people eat this apartment made a change in Crescent and that's what I like about mr.

made me feel well just like you made the other people still working and this is my story and

with necklace that I wake him for 30 years and you know I must have enjoyed working the wake me up for 30

at 3254 Aylesbury Road in Montgomery Alabama and I

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